Heart Open, Backbone Strong

Paid for by Erika Creydt for Senate

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I’ve gotten a lot of comments about the heart. People who genuinely want the best for me have told me it makes me look “weak” or “girly.” I understand the concern. You don’t typically see hearts on State Senate campaign signs. So let me explain why it’s there, and why I have no plans to take it down.

Our world is pretty closed off right now. People choose sides and shut their minds to anyone with a different perspective. That’s one facet of human nature. But it is also human nature to want to be seen, heard and understood. And the best way to understand someone is to listen with an open heart and an open mind, setting assumptions and judgments aside.

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What I’ve Learned at Your Door

As a clinical psychologist, listening has been my life’s career. I have spent years sitting with people through some of the hardest moments of their lives, and the lesson I keep coming back to is simple: people rarely change their minds because someone argued louder. They open up when they feel understood.

That’s why one of my favorite parts of this campaign has been doorbelling. It has given me the chance to meet so many people across our district and learn about both their joys and their concerns. I’ve heard concerns about the rising cost of groceries, rent and utilities. I’ve heard from people who love this place and worry whether their kids will be able to afford to stay. I’ve heard frustration that government keeps taxing more while delivering less.

And here is what has struck me most: we live among so many kind and intelligent people who just want a more peaceful world where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. That’s the crux of it. It isn’t about party affiliation or who you voted for. It’s about quality of life, how we treat each other and our hopes for a better future. Those are values people of every political stripe share, and they are a far stronger foundation to build on than the things that divide us.

This common thread energizes me, and it is why I chose a heart as the symbol for my campaign.

Leading With Heart Takes Grit

Let me be clear: choosing to lead with heart doesn’t mean I lack the tenacity and grit needed to serve as your State Senator.

Running as a Republican at this point in history is very challenging, especially in Western Washington, where my opponents try to liken me to our president. If elected, I’ll be working alongside people in the State Senate who have done things one way for so long they can’t see that things aren’t working anymore. Changing that culture won’t happen by being agreeable. It will take someone willing to ask hard questions and keep asking them.

I have the grit to push back and challenge leadership to do better. That means standing up against more taxes and regulations that make life more expensive for families and make it too difficult for local businesses to thrive. Every new fee, tax and layer of red tape lands somewhere, and too often it lands on the people who can least afford it. I’ll bring one simple question to every vote: will this make life in our community more affordable, or less?

It also means demanding accountability for our tax dollars. Taxpayers deserve to know where their money goes and what it achieves. When a program isn’t delivering, the answer shouldn’t automatically be more funding. It should be a closer look. That isn’t about cutting for the sake of cutting. It’s about respecting the people who earn that money in the first place.

Putting Our Dollars Where They Matter Most

Accountability isn’t just about saying no. It’s about putting funding where it matters most and giving taxpayers the best value for their dollar. For me, that means four clear priorities:

Fully funding education. Our kids and our teachers deserve a system that is funded reliably, not one that lurches from budget fight to budget fight.

Access to healthcare and health services. As a psychologist, I’ve seen firsthand what happens when people can’t access the care they need. Our community should be able to access physical and mental health services close to home.

Infrastructure to support housing. We can’t build the homes our community needs without the roads, water and sewer systems to support them. Funding that groundwork is one of the most practical things the state can help support to make housing more cost effective to build and more affordable for buyers.

Water management that protects us. Whatcom County knows what floods can do to homes, farms and businesses, and we also face the challenges of drought. Our county needs water management infrastructure that protects us from both.

At a time when people can’t afford “extra,” my goal is to limit new taxes and make sure the dollars we already send to Olympia are being used efficiently. Families across our county have tightened their belts. State government should be willing to do the same.

They’ve Got It Backwards

So here’s my answer to the people who worry the heart makes me look soft: they’ve got it backwards. It takes more strength to lead with an open heart than a closed fist.

Anyone can shut people out, write off half the electorate or govern by talking points. It takes grit to sit on a porch with someone who disagrees with you, listen to their perspectives, and show up the next day ready to advocate for policies that help them too.

That’s the kind of State Senator I intend to be: heart open, backbone strong.

Our community doesn’t need more politicians drawing lines. We need someone willing to knock on every door, hear every concern and have the tenacity to turn that understanding into results. That’s what I’m asking for your vote to do.

Ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3. Learn more at erikaforwhatcom.com