State Senator Doug Ericksen, a Republican who had led efforts to oppose Washington state’s emergency orders and vaccination warrants reg...
State Senator Doug Ericksen, a Republican who had led efforts to oppose Washington state’s emergency orders and vaccination warrants regarding Covid-19, has died after his own battle with the disease . He was 52 years old.
Last month, Ericksen wrote to fellow Republican Legislators, telling them he tested positive for the coronavirus after traveling to El Salvador. He asked his colleagues to help him get the monoclonal antibodies.
It is not known where Mr. Ericksen was when he died. Mr Ericksen’s family said in a statement on Saturday that he had died the day before.
“Please keep our family in your prayers and thank you for continuing to respect our privacy during this extremely difficult time,” the family wrote in a statement shared by the State Senate Republican caucus.
Mr. Ericksen, who represented much of Whatcom County, had served in the legislature since 1999, becoming a prominent Conservative voice and one of the earliest supporters of Donald J. Trump’s presidential campaign. During the pandemic, he led efforts to tackle Governor Jay Inslee’s restrictions on coronaviruses, introducing legislation that would have banned vaccination warrants and calling on the governor to step down.
“Washington state is number 1 in government coercion,” Ericksen said in a statement last month.
It is not known whether Mr. Ericksen had been vaccinated.
State Senator Reuven carlyle, a Democrat, wrote in a message on Saturday that he and Mr Ericksen attended the same high school and then served together for years as leaders of the state’s Senate committee focused on environmental, energy and technology issues.
“Our political battles have been tough and difficult, but we have respected each other’s fierce dedication to serving the public and our communities,” Mr. Carlyle wrote. “Our friendship has found ways to rise above political differences.”
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