Help flip the Washington State Senate to blue! Let's elect Manka Dhingra for the WA Senate from the 45th district!
Yep, you heard right. The WA Senate is controlled by the Republicans, with help from turncoat Democrat Tim Sheldon. Winning a single formerly Republican seat will flip control of the Senate. If we can do that, then WA will become one of only seven states with a Democratic trifecta. (See What's the Matter with Washington State? for background.)
But after the WA Democratic reorganization, early this year, there are new goals and initiatives in place. Several are relevant here:
- We have a goal to revive local Democratic organizations. There are currently some with no chair or other officers, no website,...
- We want to run Democrats in races that are currently left uncontested.
- There's a new initiative to have safely blue district organizations help others that need GOTV work and donations.
The candidate endorsed by the 45th district is Manka Dhingra, who is currently an attorney in the King County Prosecutor's office. Her main focus is on education funding and mental health programs like diversion from the courts into treatment. (For non-WA folks, education funding is a massive issue in WA. We have been unable to fund our state's education obligations due to Republican obstruction, and are under a court order to do so -- we're being fined for non-compliance. The candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction whose campaign I worked on last year was running in part on developing novel education funding sources. This is a big deal here...) Manka also has endorsements from WA governor Jay Inslee, Senator Patty Murry, Congresswoman Susan DelBene,... Here is her bio:
A Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney with the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, award winning PTSA mom, anti- domestic violence advocate and community leader, Manka Dhingra is running for State Senate to address critical needs in education funding, mental health, violence prevention, and to protect the rights of women.
As Chair of the King County’s Therapeutic Alternative Unit, Manka supervises the Regional Mental Health Court, which received the Randy Revelle Award by the Washington State Psychiatric Association. She also oversees the Veterans Court that serves veterans with disabilities and the Community Assessment and Referral for Diversion program.
To reform and improve our criminal justice system, Manka has worked with State Department of Social and Human Services, the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, legislators, and the Governor’s office to ensure individuals get the treatment they need to return to being productive members of our community.
A mental health and crisis intervention expert, Manka provides training to law enforcement and recently started a collaborative effort with King County law enforcement agencies to coordinate response and help avoid tragedy. She also works directly with Harborview Hospital, mental health professionals and our courts to improve criminal justice outcomes for mentally ill individuals—seeking to close the revolving door of jail, homelessness, and crime.
A longtime advocate for women and immigrant rights, Manka recognized how often domestic violence in the South Asian community goes unreported. In response, she co-founded Chaya (now API Chaya) and has since led the organization’s work to end systemic violence through education, prevention, and organizing. She also served on the Seattle Police Department Muslim, Arab, and Sikh Advisory Council to address hate crime issues in our region in the wake of 9/11
A Board Member of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Eastside, which works to improve the quality of life of all those affected by mental illness, Manka earned the organization’s highest award earlier this year.
Prior to becoming a King County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, she interned with the State Attorney General's Office in their Criminal Division assisting with Sexually Violent Predator cases. She also clerked for Justice Barbara Madsen at the Washington State Supreme Court from September 1997 to June 1998.
She holds a JD from the University of Washington School of Law and Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley. She has been a prosecutor with King County since January 2000.
A mother of two children who attend Redmond Middle School and Redmond High School, Manka received the PTSA Golden Acorn Award for her work at Redmond Elementary School and remains a proud Girl Scout cookie mom. Manka and her husband, Harjit Singh, a Distinguished Engineer at SpaceX, live in the Education Hill neighborhood of Redmond.
Now, how can you help? Especially if you are in WA state, contact the 45th District Democrats or Manka Dhingra's campaign about phonebanking. (The main pre-primary canvass push has already happened, but there will undoubtedly be more later leading up to the general election.) Have a look at the info about phonebanking at the link below, but do contact them or the campaign to make sure what they need done and when. If you're local and see this in time, you might ask if there will be folks out with signs for Manka during the Duvall Days Parade on June 3rd.
www.45thdemocrats.org/...
If you have friends or relatives in WA, especially in the 45th district or nearby, call 'em up and make sure they know what's happening. Heck, call 'em even if they're not near the 45th -- ask them to call their local peeps.
For anyone: You can help at any time by donating! Here are links for both Manka's campaign and the 45th district Democrats:
www.electmanka.com
www.45thdemocrats.org
Seriously, folks, we could use your help. WA is gridlocked. We elect Democratic governors, but their hands are tied. Help us reclaim WA as a blue state!