One Whatcom candidate is a former cop, and the other is endorsed by cops

In Whatcom County’s 42nd Legislative District, the incumbent House member is endorsed by a major law enforcement organization — even though her opponent is a former cop.

State Rep. Alicia Rule, D-Blaine, is facing Republican challenger Tawsha Dykstra Thompson of Lynden for the House Position 1 seat that Rule won in 2020, after the GOP had held it for a decade.

Ballots in the state’s general election must be placed in an official drop box or postmarked, not simply mailed, by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Both candidates are lifelong Whatcom County residents whose families are rooted in the North County dairy industry.

Nearly $1 million has been spent in the race for a district that’s been trending blue in recent elections, according to records from the state Public Disclosure Commission.

Washington’s 42nd Legislative District includes much of downtown Bellingham, the city’s northern neighborhoods, and the rest of northern and eastern Whatcom County.

Rule is a social worker and a therapist with a private practice in downtown Bellingham. She’s also a former member of the Blaine City Council and founder and former head of the Blaine Downtown Development Association.

In her first year in the House, Rule worked with the district’s other House member, Rep. Sharon Shewmake, to secure funding and commitments to support small businesses and farmers that became part of a $20 million budget proviso for a statewide program to assist small businesses recovering from the November 2021 flooding, according to previous Bellingham Herald reporting.

That included $2 million to repair and prepare schools in the Nooksack Valley School District, $14 million to elevate Slater Road from frequent flooding, and another $2 million for the (Fire) Station 34 replacement that serves Marietta and Lummi Peninsula.

At her campaign website, Rule lists affordable housing, job creation and the environment as her priorities in Olympia.

“I want my children to be able to afford to live in Whatcom County, and we must continue to make investments that keep living wage jobs right here,” Rule said.

“I worked with downtown small business owners in Blaine to provide them with the resources they need, and, on the city council helped bring living wage jobs at the new healthcare center in Blaine,” she said.

Rule raised $526,942 and spent $491,650 through Nov. 4, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. She’s received $104,597 in individual contributions as well as $161,504 from political action committees.

Democratic-leaning organizations such as the New Directors PAC and the Jackson Legacy Fund have added $341,622 of independent expenses in support of her candidacy, and the Republican Party’s PAC Evergreen Progress has spent $52,756 against her.

She’s endorsed by the Whatcom Democrats and a variety of groups representing social justice, business and environmental interests, including Planned Parenthood, the Washington Hospitality Association, the Washington State Labor Council, the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, and the Whatcom County Association of Realtors, as well as a range of unions that represent the building trades, firefighters, nurses, educators and office workers.

She’s also endorsed by the Washington State Fraternal Order of Police.

“Alicia Rule’s voting record as a Democrat was not your typical (Democratic Party) voting record,” the fraternal order board of directors said in its endorsement.

“Several bills related to public safety that were almost unanimously party-line votes saw her going against her party in the voting record,” the board said.

“While it would be silly to have our organization endorsing openly anti-cop politicians, Alicia Rule was a good endorsement. Her voting record warrants police support, and there is value in having a perspective that aligns with ours within the majority party,” the Fraternal Order of Police endorsement said.

Thompson is a former Bellingham Police officer who lost her job for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, which is required for Bellingham employees.

In her 25 years as a police officer, Thompson has served in a canine unit and a bicycle patrol and has worked as a field training officer and a detective.

Thompson was commander of the honor guard team that attends the funerals of officers who die in the line of duty.

She was also a peer support and wellness coordinator, and a board member and president of the Bellingham Police Association and the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs’ representative for the Bellingham Police Guild in Olympia.

“Many people today are not feeling heard by the majority party,” Thompson said at her campaign website. “They do not feel the liberal progressive Democrats represent them. Many are choosing to leave rather than stay because of this. I refuse to leave because Whatcom County is my home.”

Her campaign website focuses on the nationwide increase in violent crimes, inflation, and housing affordability — calling for cuts in the gas tax, sales tax and property tax exemptions.

Thompson had raised $374,516 for her campaign and spent $374,080 through Nov. 4, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission, including $84,494 from individual contributions and $241,161 from Republican Party sources, according to the PDC.

In addition, GOP sources including the Evergreen Progress PAC have spent $46,019 in support of Thompson, funds that are separate from her campaign, according to the PDC. Another $12,337 was spent independently against her by the Democratic-leaning New Direction PAC.

She’s endorsed by the Whatcom Republicans and the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs, as well as Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo, Bellingham Police Chief Rebecca Mertzig and Whatcom County Council members Ben Elenbaas, Tyler Byrd and Kathy Kershner.