State Rep. Alicia Rule, D-Blaine, led in the race for 42nd District state Representative Position 1 with 35,314 votes, or 58%, against Republican Misty Flowers, who had 24,871 votes (42%) as of 8:12 p.m. Tuesday.
“It’s always exciting to win in an election, and I think it gives us a lot of hope to win with these kinds of margins, but I know that immediately that comes with a heavy responsibility of ensuring that we are delivering good policy for everybody in our district and across the state who needs us to do that,” Rule said.
Rule, who has represented the district since 2020, is seeking her fourth term in Olympia against Flowers, a small business owner and chair of the Whatcom County Republican Party.
Rule has emphasized public education, healthcare affordability, housing costs and reproductive rights as some central issues in her campaign. She supports investments in public services, and recently was one of few Democrats who voted against the millionaire’s tax, citing a lack of clear funding guarantees.
“It’s really clear that affordability is on the top of people’s minds, and so I will continue working on that starting again tomorrow morning,” Rule said. “I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get this job done. It’s going to take all of us to tackle this issue.”
Flowers’ top priorities were public safety, ensuring fiscal responsibility with tax dollars, increased job opportunities and stabilized housing. Her campaign focused on lowering tax rates for residents, investing in workforce development, and prioritizing public safety through addiction recovery programs and increased jail capacity for violent offenders.
“I’m surprised to see the votes moving towards more taxes and continued lack of accountability, especially in our prosecutor’s office, so I hope to see some of those results change,” Flowers said Tuesday night.
Rule has served three terms as state representative, and also served in the past as a member of the Blaine City Council. Rule is a fifth-generation Whatcom County resident, and serves as vice chair of the House Health Care & Wellness Committee in the state legislature.
Flowers is a Whatcom County small business owner with a background in wellness education. She previously ran unsuccessfully for Whatcom County Council in 2021 and for Whatcom County executive in 2023.
“We all need to come together, no matter which side you vote, because we all — at the end of the day — want the same things,” Flowers said. “We want to have a safe community, we want to be able to provide for our families and have a safe home; to be able to afford more than just barely scraping by.”
The winner will serve a two-year term, facing several critical issues including property taxes, public education funding, health care access, housing affordability, flood mitigation and public safety.
The Whatcom County Auditor reported a turnout of 53% on election night, with 90,027 ballots received of 170,523 registered voters. The count was not final and the next update was expected Wednesday night.
