Staunch conservative Washington State Senator Doug Ericksen has died at the age of 52 on Friday following a month-long battle with COVID.
Ericksen, a representative from Ferndale, had contracted the virus while he was on a trip to El Salvador last month.
After arranging a medevac flight from the country, he checked himself into a Florida hospital the week after for treatment, according to former state Rep. Luanne Van Werven.
It is unclear if Ericksen had been vaccinated or not against the virus, but he had been an outspoken advocate against COVID-19 vaccine mandates prior to his death.
The cause of his death has also not been made official after his passing was publicly announced on Saturday.
Ericksen represented the 42nd District in Whatcom County and had been in the Legislature since 1998, the Seattle Times reported. He served six terms in the state House before being elected to the Senate in 2010.
He was also a former leader of Donald Trump's campaign in Washington.
Ericksen leaves behind his wife Tasha and their two daughters.
Washington Senator Doug Ericksen passed away at the age of 52 on Friday after a month-long battle with COVID
Ericksen was survived by his wife Tasha and their two daughters
Ericksen had contracted the virus while on a trip to El Salvador and sought treatment in a Florida hospital following his return
The family spoke out about the late senator following his death.
'We are heartbroken to share that our husband and father passed away,' Ericksen’s wife, Tasha, and his two daughters said in a statement to the Seattle Times on Saturday.
'Please keep our family in your prayers and thank you for continuing to respect our privacy in this extremely difficult time.'
Fellow lawmakers also reacted to the news after they were informed their former colleague passed away.
Lawmakers reacted late Saturday afternoon with shock and sadness. Washington State Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, said he was thinking of Ericksen’s family.
'It’s just heartbreaking news, what do you do, other than you feel for them, you pray for them,' Braun said.
'It’s tragic, the guy was one of the smartest people I know, and his floor speeches, his knowledge and environmental issues of all that stuff, was just fantastic,' State Senator Phil Fortunato said.
Ericksen's family released a statement following his death saying they were 'heartbroken'
Ericksen had also been a seasoned traveler as he was a foreign agent for Cambodia
Prior to his death, Ericksen had written to his colleagues to help him get treatment after he contracted the virus while in El Salvador.
'I took a trip to El Salvador and tested positive for COVID shortly after I arrived,' he wrote.
'I cannot get back home, and it’s to the point that I feel it would be beneficial for me to receive an iv of monoclonal antibodies (Regeneron).
'I have a doctor here who can administer the iv, but the product is not available here.
'Do any of you have any ideas on how I could get the monoclonal antibodies sent to me here?
'Ideally, I would like to get it on a flight tonight so it would be here by tomorrow.'
Ericksen had been vocal about being against the state imposed vaccine mandate and attempted to create a bill to block it
Ericksen represented the 42nd District in Whatcom County and had been in the Legislature since 1998
It is unclear why Ericksen had been out of the country at the time, but it was revealed he had traveled often as he had been a foreign agent for Cambodia and previously went to El Salvador to observe elections.
Ericksen, however, was remembered for attempting to introduce a bill to block the state-imposed vaccine mandate.
He had often sparred with Washington Governor Jay Inslee over their differing views with COVID as well as other policies such as climate change.
'This bill isn’t pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine,' Ericksen said in August. 'It is pro-individual choice. We need to respect the right of people to make decisions for themselves.'
In response to his death, Inslee spoke on behalf of him and his wife to pay their respects to Ericksen.
'Trudi and I send our deep condolences to Doug’s family, friends and colleagues. Our hearts are with them.'
Post a Comment