How did state, Whatcom Democrats win big in a US election swinging the other way?

To explore the question, let’s first look closely at what happened here, now that we know all the outcomes.

Washington state voters not only delivered an 18.5% margin for Kamala Harris, but elected Democrats by wide margins to every statewide office. They elected a new progressive state supreme court justice.

They reelected all eight U.S. House Democrats, including Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who more than tripled her 2022 winning margin.

Voters expanded Democratic majorities in both houses of the state Legislature.

They rejected three of four initiatives sponsored by a zillionaire hedge fund manager, backing the capital gains tax by a 28% margin, cap and trade by 24%, and the long-term care payroll tax by 11%.

Here in Whatcom County, there was an even bigger swing, as voters agreed with Whatcom Democrats’ endorsements across the board.

They rejected all four initiatives.

They expanded our presidential vote margin, handing Kamala Harris a 25% margin over Donald Trump, slightly above Joe Biden’s 24% margin in 2020, and well above Hillary Clinton’s 18% margin in 2016.

They reelected our now all-Democratic slate of state legislators. In the once reliably red 42^nd District, they more than doubled Joe Timmons’ and Alicia Rule’s winning margins from two years ago, to 7% and 9%, respectively.

They elected both Democratic candidates for Whatcom Public Utility District.

They flipped the County Charter Review Commission, electing a majority of eight Democrats to seven Republicans. Last time, Republicans held a nine to six majority. All eight Democrats (two under 30) are new to elective office, building our bench.

Eighty-four percent voted for a County Charter amendment prohibiting holding two elected offices at once. That means a large swath of Republicans disregarded their party’s endorsement of a no vote.

Why the blue shift while the rest of the country had a red shift?

Turnout provides a clue. Whereas national turnout was around 64%, Washington turnout was 78%, and Whatcom turnout 82.7%. Most of that bump came from younger voters. In Washington, turnout among 18- to 24-year-olds was 65%. In Whatcom County, it was 75%, the highest in the state. For 25- to 34-year-olds, it was 68% statewide, 74% in Whatcom, tied for highest.

Last year younger voters — who typically cast ballots later — similarly propelled Donnell Tanksley and Kim Lund, behind on election night, to wins in the Whatcom County sheriff and Bellingham mayoral races. They also helped vault one of their own — Jace Cotton, then 25 — to Bellingham City Council at-large, where he is targeting junk rental fees.

They have agency here. Seven years ago, the Whatcom Democrats Board was almost entirely older than 55. It is now mostly under 35. We adopted grassroots governance, with hundreds of dues-paying members casting secure online ballots to decide endorsements, and symbolized by replacing the national logo with our Mount Baker logo. You can join our grassroots movement here.

While the national party has been hurt by its embrace of trade deals favoring corporate elites and investors at the expense of “rust-belt” jobs, the state and local party have championed concerns of younger voters and the working class.

Our Democratic state legislators have ensured health care for workers in labor disputes, tackled climate change with cap-and-trade, and funded schools with a capital gains tax on high earners. Hedge fund manager Brian Heywood inadvertently did us a favor by prompting a statewide discussion that led to landslide approval of these policies, and expanded our legislative majorities.

Locally, Whatcom Democrats have engaged in direct democracy, partnering with Community First Whatcom. Last year’s Initiative 1 raised the Bellingham minimum wage by $2, and Initiative 2 required renter relocation assistance to discourage large rent increases.

We’ve supported labor union organizing efforts and walked picket lines, including United Food and Commercial Workers, UAW-WAWU, Starbucks workers, and REI workers. Another initiative forbade use of public funds for anti-union efforts.

Where Democratic leaders have fallen short, as when the Whatcom County prosecutor and executive jointly failed to disclose a $225,000 settlement for sexual harassment to the County Council and the public, as required by law, we have publicly called for accountability.

On the other hand, we are extraordinarily proud of our newest executives. Tanksley is professionalizing the sheriff’s office, with reforms to secure accreditation from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Officers, and building trust in law enforcement through community engagement. Mayor Lund is reviving downtown Bellingham, has introduced professional management to City Hall, and is working on smart fixes for our housing shortage.

Behaving more like a grassroots civic organization than a typical political party has won local trust.

Now housing is the central challenge we face. Our local councils have declared housing crises, but have not yet responded accordingly. We must continue to earn public trust with support for our state legislators’ housing and rent stabilization bills and for Mayor Lund’s housing proposals.

Whatcom Democrats Chair Andrew Reding, who partnered with Republican County Council Member Kathy Kershner on the recently adopted county charter amendment, is a newly elected county charter review commissioner.