Washington state senator dies month after revealing COVID illness
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Washinton state Sen. Doug Ericksen, a rigid conservative, died last Friday at age 52, his family confirmed in a statement Saturday.
Why it matters: The Washington Republican's death Friday came a month after he told a local radio station that he had tested positive for coronavirus while in El Salvador, per CNN. Ericksen's cause of death has not been made public.
- Ericksen was elected to the state Senate after serving six terms in the state House, according to his website.
Worth noting: Ericksen sent an email to state lawmakers Thursday requesting medical supplies and describing his plight, adding that he could not "get back home," according to The Seattle Times.
- “Do any of you have any ideas on how I could get the monoclonal antibodies sent to me here,” Ericksen wrote, per the Times. “Ideally, I would like to get it on a flight tonight so it would be here by tomorrow.”
What they're saying: "Trudi and I send our deep condolences to Doug's family, friends and colleagues," Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) wrote in a statement. "Our hearts are with them."