The next round of results will be available at 4.30 p.m. on Wednesday.
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Indian American Democrat Manka Dhingra has assured her victory with a big lead in the November 7 general elections for the state Senate seat in Washington’s 45th Legislative District, defeating her Republican rival Jinyoung Lee Englund.
“BREAKING: @electmanka has won the special election for LD45 in the WA Senate, flipping the seat – * and the entire chamber* – from red to blue.
This is the 27th state legislative flip for Democrats in 2017. Congratulations, Manka! “Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee – DLCC tweeted.
As of Tuesday, Dhingra received 16,156 votes for 55.42 percent of the electorate while Englund received 12,997 votes. Her victory will help Democrats to flip the state from red to blue. The Washington State Senate has 25 Democrats and 24 Republicans, but because of one renegade Democrat Tim Sheldon, the Republicans have control over the Legislature’s upper chamber.
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“We did it!!! Thank you to each and every one of you!†Dhingra said in a Facebook post.
The 42-year-old Sikh American, who won the August 1Â primary with 51.05 votes, is a senior deputy King County Prosecutor since 2000. She announced her candidacy for the Eastside district earlier this year and this is her first run for the public office.
The India-born Dhingra moved to the United States at the age of 13. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from the University of California at Berkeley and JD from the University Of Washington School Of Law.
Dhingra is well known as a longtime advocate for women and immigrant rights. She co-founded Chaya (now API Chaya) and has since led the organization’s work to end systemic violence through education, prevention, and organization.
She also served on the Seattle Police Department’s Muslim, Arab and Sikh Advisory Council to address hate crime issues in the region in the wake of 9/11. She has also worked in mental health and chairs the therapeutic alternative unit.
Dhingra is married to Harjit Singh, a Distinguished Engineer at SpaceX and a former Microsoft executive. The couple has two children who attend Redmond Middle School and Redmond High School.
Tuesday’s election was to fill the vacancy created last year by the death of Republican Sen. Andy Hill. Dino Rossi, who has twice been a GOP gubernatorial candidate, is filling the seat temporarily.
The next round of results will be available at 4.30 p.m. on Wednesday.