It might be worth mentioning, that any newspaper quotes from the State Dems were quoted within 24 hours of the original complaint. The State could not have even begun an investigation.

Also, the Whatcom Dems do not actually have a Code of Conduct. They have a campaign code of conduct but is not specific to the organization's conduct itself. 

The Whatcom Democrats endorsement is extremely valuable for a candidate in Bellingham. Voters receive a postcard with the ‘slate’ of endorsed candidates and many voters trust that that is who they should vote for. Candidates also get funding, tons of door knocking volunteers, paid campaign management and the backing of the Democratic party. Its also extremely difficult to win your election if your opponent receives the endorsement and you don’t.

The Complaint to the State Dems is 12 pages long. Thank you for linking to it.  There is extensive research on past endorsement practices (2021) and current endorsements (2025). There is also extensive and damning examples of how Reding used the party to benefit his own opinions, hurt those he disagreed with, and denigrated women along the way. 

This was all used as important background to bring up the meat of the issue. An act in 2023, where Andrew Reding illegitimately changed the tabulation policy for endorsements to give his friend and fellow Whatcom Democrat insider Jace Cotton the endorsement for City Council by a hair. If the tabulation were changed intentionally to benefit himself or others, this could possibly be charged as fraud by the State Democrats or even the State Attorney General, due to the value of the endorsement.

In statements published in the news articles that have come out since the complaint was filed with the State, Andrew admits that the change was done but says it was a ‘mistake’. When you see the complaint and get to Addendum 11, you’ll see that an email was sent 6 days before the 2023 endorsement vote, detailing the process for tabulation; being a mistake is impossible. It looks as though Andrew Reding was in the Chair seat, to change this published policy secretively and on the fly to give Jace Cotton the endorsement.