People
Democrat Manka Kaur Dhingra
Vying For Crucial Washington State Senate Seat
In November 7, 2017 Election
JOSEPH O’SULLIVAN, JULIA DUIN
Democratic candidate Manka Kaur Dhingra recently widened her lead slightly in primary vote results for a key Washington state (USA) Senate seat.
Manka Kaur led Republican Jinyoung Lee Englund, 51 percent to 42 percent.
Both have moved on towards the November general election.
The contest between Manka Kaur and Englund — both first-time candidates — will determine which party controls the Washington State Senate. Republicans currently have a one-seat majority.
Manka Kaur is a senior deputy prosecuting attorney for King County, where she supervises a regional mental-health court, a veterans court and a diversion program
Englund is a former staffer for U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Spokane, who recently managed a team developing a phone app to aid the U.S. Marine Corps, in which her husband serves.
Already, more than $3 million has poured into race in the 45th Legislative District, which includes Duvall, Woodinville and parts of Kirkland and Redmond.
In terms of political leanings, the US West Coast is a wall of blue, but there’s still a stubborn cadre of Republicans controlling the Washington state legislature, much to the disgust of Democrats.
So, right now there’s a huge fight for a single state Senate seat between the Sikh-American woman and an Asian-American woman duking it out for the coveted position in Washington’s 45th District, which houses behemoths like Microsoft and other tech businesses that have turned Seattle’s Eastside into a mini-Silicon Valley.
Here’s an interesting angle to the story. A news report:
“Campaign donations are pouring in for a Washington state Senate seat contest because the outcome likely will determine whether Democrats or Republicans control the chamber. Oil companies have written $100,000 checks for political action committees running ads against the Democratic candidate, Manka Kaur Dhingra, and in support of Republican Jinyoung Lee Englund. A pair of billionaires who want action on climate change, Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer, each gave $125,000 to political action committees funding ad campaigns against Englund, and supporting Manka Kaur.
“When all is said and done, $8 million dollars likely will have been spent on this state legislative race, political consultants predict. That’s more than triple the amount ever spent on any other Washington state legislative race and more than has ever been spent on any U.S. Congressional race in the state.”
Some say this could be the “costliest state primary in history.”
And, Manka Kaur, if elected, would be the nation’s first Sikh woman to be in a state legislature.
Another news report:
“Quite likely, this is the most consequential political race for the Sikh-American community since Dilip Singh Saund was first elected 60 years ago,” said president of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Victory Fund, who also said that Manka Kaur’s victory was “symbolic and significant,” especially at a time when hate crimes are increasing since the presidential election.
“The entire West Coast from California to Oregon to Washington State will be a wall of blue.
“The significance of this race for our community and the nation cannot be understated.”
Manka Kaur Dhingra is favored to win.
[Courtesy: Seattle Times, Get Religion. Edited for sikhchic.com]
October 16, 2017