21 Facts About Doug Ericksen

Douglas John Ericksen was an American politician and lobbyist who served as a member of the Washington State Senate, representing the 42nd district from 2011 to 2021.

Doug Ericksen was born and raised in Bellingham, Washington, and graduated from Sehome High School in 1987.

Doug Ericksen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from Cornell University and a Master of Arts in political science and environmental policy from Western Washington University.

Doug Ericksen began his political career working for Washington State Senator Ann Anderson, 42nd Legislative District, while he was attending Western Washington University.

Doug Ericksen left his position with the Department of Fish and Wildlife in 1998 to run for the Washington State House of Representatives.

In November 2016, following protests against Donald Trump and fracking, Doug Ericksen authored a bill that would treat some common protest actions, such as blocking traffic and rail lines, as economic terrorism and allow for felony prosecution of individuals who take part in such action.

In January 2017, Doug Ericksen accepted the temporary position of interim director of communications with the United States Environmental Protection Agency, but stated he would not resign from his senate seat.

Doug Ericksen was named Senior Advisor to the Regional Administrator for Public Engagement but declined to take the job over commuting concerns and his position as senator.

In November 2020, Doug Ericksen proposed legislation to eliminate the voting by mail system used by the state for years and change other voting measures, citing unsubstantiated concerns about "election security".

Doug Ericksen claimed that the bill was necessary and falsely claimed that there was widespread voter fraud in the state's 2020 election.

In May 2013, the Associated Press reported that Doug Ericksen was "the biggest beneficiary of lobbyist expense accounts" among Washington state legislators during the first four months of 2013, receiving free meals, drinks or golf 62 times in that period.

In May 2018 Doug Ericksen joined fellow state senator Michael Baumgartner, Representative Vincent Buys, and football coach Mike Leach on a trip to Cambodia.

Doug Ericksen returned in July with Representatives Buys, Drew MacEwen, and Brandon Vick to observe the 2018 Cambodian general election, though MacEwen and Vick departed after the US Ambassador expressed concerns about the election, which was widely called a "sham".

Doug Ericksen met with Cambodia's authoritarian prime minister Hun Sen and later called the election "very free, very fair", saying the opposition party's elimination was a "political question".

Doug Ericksen visited Prime Minister Hun Sen again in Phnom Penh in March 2019, where he stated his belief the 2018 Cambodian general election was "free, just and non-violent", as quoted by Cambodian media that inflated his position as "US Senator".

Some of Doug Ericksen's travel was paid for by campaign funds, which state law requires to be used for official responsibilities.

In February 2021, Doug Ericksen missed legislative votes to act as a monitor for the 2021 Salvadoran legislative election, which strengthened the position of El Salvador's authoritarian president's party.

Doug Ericksen praised the country's "large military and police presence" at polling places as "reassuring".

In November 2021, Doug Ericksen tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after arriving in El Salvador.

Unable to get back to the United States, Doug Ericksen emailed Republican colleagues to help send him monoclonal antibodies as they were reportedly not available in El Salvador.

Doug Ericksen died on December 17,2021, at the age of 52.