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Manka Dhingra

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Manka Dhingra
Image of Manka Dhingra

Democratic Party

Candidate, Washington State Senate District 45

Washington State Senate District 45
Tenure

2017 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

8

Compensation

Base salary

$60,191/year

Per diem

$202/day

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 8, 2022

Next election

August 4, 2026

Education

Bachelor's

University of California, Berkeley

Law

University of Washington School of Law

Personal
Profession
Attorney
Contact

Official website

Official Facebook

Official Twitter

Official Instagram

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Personal TikTok

Manka Dhingra (Democratic Party) is a member of the Washington State Senate, representing District 45. She assumed office in 2017. Her current term ends on January 11, 2027.

Dhingra (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the Washington State Senate to represent District 45. She declared candidacy for the primary scheduled on August 4, 2026.[source]

Biography

Dhingra's professional experience includes working as a senior deputy prosecuting attorney with the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. She earned her B.A. in history and political science from the University of California at Berkley. Dhingra earned her J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law and began working as a prosecutor in January 2000.[1]

Elections

2026

See also: Washington State Senate elections, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on August 4, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Washington State Senate District 45

Incumbent Manka Dhingra is running in the primary for Washington State Senate District 45 on August 4, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Manka Dhingra
Manka Dhingra (D)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2024

See also: Washington Attorney General election, 2024

General election

General election for Attorney General of Washington

Nick Brown defeated Pete Serrano in the general election for Attorney General of Washington on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Nick Brown
Nick Brown (D)
 
55.6
 
2,093,570
Image of Pete Serrano
Pete Serrano (R)
 
44.3
 
1,669,884
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
3,616

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 3,767,070
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Attorney General of Washington

Pete Serrano and Nick Brown defeated Manka Dhingra in the primary for Attorney General of Washington on August 6, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Pete Serrano
Pete Serrano (R)
 
42.1
 
814,372
✔
Image of Nick Brown
Nick Brown (D)
 
35.3
 
682,360
Image of Manka Dhingra
Manka Dhingra (D)
 
22.5
 
435,919
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
1,284

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 1,933,935
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Endorsements

Dhingra received the following endorsements.

2022

See also: Washington State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Washington State Senate District 45

Incumbent Manka Dhingra defeated Ryika Hooshangi in the general election for Washington State Senate District 45 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Manka Dhingra
Manka Dhingra (D)
 
62.9
 
41,391
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Ryika Hooshangi (R)
 
37.0
 
24,354
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
86

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 65,831
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Washington State Senate District 45

Incumbent Manka Dhingra and Ryika Hooshangi advanced from the primary for Washington State Senate District 45 on August 2, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Manka Dhingra
Manka Dhingra (D)
 
65.4
 
25,773
✔
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Ryika Hooshangi (R)
 
34.4
 
13,570
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
65

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 39,408
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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2018

See also: Washington State Senate elections, 2018

General election

General election for Washington State Senate District 45

Incumbent Manka Dhingra defeated Dale Fonk in the general election for Washington State Senate District 45 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Manka Dhingra
Manka Dhingra (D)
 
63.4
 
45,264
Image of Dale Fonk
Dale Fonk (R)
 
36.6
 
26,100

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 71,364
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Washington State Senate District 45

Incumbent Manka Dhingra and Dale Fonk advanced from the primary for Washington State Senate District 45 on August 7, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Manka Dhingra
Manka Dhingra (D)
 
63.7
 
26,052
✔
Image of Dale Fonk
Dale Fonk (R)
 
36.3
 
14,822

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 40,874
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2017

See also: Washington state legislative special elections, 2017

Partisan control of the Washington State Senate was at stake in the November 7 special election. Democrats held a numerical majority in the Senate prior to the special elections. However, because Senator Tim Sheldon (D) caucused with the GOP, Republicans maintained effective control of the chamber. Senate District 45, which had the greatest likelihood of being a closely contested race, afforded Democrats the opportunity to gain control of the chamber. Single-party control of the state Senate, state House, as governorship allows for the controlling party to more easily pursue their legislative agenda. The Seattle Times reported climate change, gun regulations, a more progressive tax structure, and new state revenue for schools and other programs as key issues for the Washington Democrats.[2] For Republicans, controlling the Senate meant a check on the agenda of House Democrats and Governor Jay Inslee. Republicans campaigned against a state income tax, pointing to a recent measure approved by the Seattle City Council that would implement a 2.25 percent tax on income above $250,000.[3]

Majority control of the state House was not at stake in the 2017 special elections. Democrats held a 50-48 majority in the House heading into the special elections. Republicans were defending their seats in two of the three state House elections, and no Republican candidates filed for the third election, which was in House District 48.

WA SD45 district map.png

Political context of the Senate District 45 special election

The special general election for District 45 was held on November 7, 2017, with Manka Dhingra (D) defeating Jinyoung Lee Englund (R).[4] Dhingra and Englund defeated Parker Harris (I) in the top-two primary. Dhingra won 51.5 percent of the vote in the primary compared to 41.5 percent earned by Englund.[5] A survey released by Myers Research & Strategic Services in late-September showed similar results as the primary election, with Dhingra at a 51-41 lead over Englund.[6] The seat was left vacant after Andy Hill (R) passed away due to lung cancer. Dino Rossi (R) was appointed to fill the vacancy until the November election.

Washington State Senate, District 45, Special Election, 2017
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngManka Dhingra 55.4% 27,755
     Republican Jinyoung Lee Englund 44.6% 22,361
Total Votes 50,116


Senate District 45 held highly competitive elections in 2014 and 2010. Senator Andy Hill (R) won those elections with 52.7 percent and 51.0 percent of the vote, respectively. Democrats last held Senate District 45 after the 2006 elections. Eric Oemig (D) won the 2006 election with 52.9 percent of the vote, but lost his re-election bid to Hill in 2010.

In the 2016 elections, Hillary Clinton (D) carried 64.8 percent of the vote in Washington State Senate District 45. Donald Trump (R) earned 28.0 percent of the vote in the district.[7] Both state House seats in District 45 are held by Democrats.

Senate District 45 includes Duvall, Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish, and Woodinville. The district is located in King County and is northeast of Seattle. There are 141,000 residents in the district, and 105,000 of those residents are of voting age. White residents make up 76.5 percent of the population followed by Asian residents at 13.4 percent.[8]

District 45 Elections: 1998 - 2016
Election Year: 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014
Winning Party: R R D R R
Margin of victory: R+17.8 R+100 D+5.9 R+1.8 R+5.4
Source: Washington Secretary of State

Campaign finance

As of October 31, 2017, Dhingra had raised $1,454,000 in campaign contributions, while Englund had raised $1,528,000. At that same time, Dhingra had spent $1,382,000 while Englund had spent $1,467,000. In 2014, incumbent Andy Hill (R) raised $1,042,000 while his Democratic challenger raised $508,000. In 2010, Hill raised $420,000 while his Democratic challenger raised $290,000. Hill won those elections with 52.7 percent and 51.0 percent of the vote respectively.[9]

Independent expenditures amounted to $772,000 in favor of Dhingra and $2,279,000 in opposition to the Democratic candidate. Independent expenditures towards Englund amounted to $684,000 in support and $1,678,000 in opposition.[9] Independent expenditures are political communications that expressly advocate for the election or defeat of a specific candidate. These expenditures are made by individuals, political committees, Super PACs, qualified nonprofit corporations, corporations, and labor unions that are unable to coordinate with candidate campaigns involved in the election.

The following table details campaign finance dollar amounts as of October 31, 2017.[9]

Washington Senate District 45 Campaign Finance
Candidate Total Raised Total Spent IE Supporting IE Opposing
Manka Dhingra $1,454,074.53 $1,382,547.02 $772,568.02 $2,279,117.47
Jinyoung Lee Englund $1,528,549.90 $1,467,622.48 $684,207.30 $1,678,350.09
Parker Harris $3,282 $2,467.36 $0.00 $0.00
Total $2,985,906.43 $2,852,636.86 $1,456,775.32 $3,957,467.56

Endorsements

Dhingra's endorsements included the following:[10]

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Manka Dhingra has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Manka Dhingra asking her to fill out the survey. If you are Manka Dhingra, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

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You can ask Manka Dhingra to fill out this survey by using the buttons below or emailing info@electmanka.com.

Twitter
Email

2024

Manka Dhingra did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Dhingra’s campaign website stated the following:

“

My Vision

I envision a state with strong communities; where individuals have social equity, organizations and businesses have economic growth opportunities and there is stewardship of the environment.

A State with the resources available to graduate the next generation of diverse and creative leaders for the State, Country, and the World and who foster innovation for our local businesses big and small.

  • I believe we can build an education system that engages children, expanding on their unique creativity and talent, and that crafts an individualized plan for success.
  • I believe in a state that is a leader in the technologies of the future thereby attracting corporations and organizations from around the world and that supports our small businesses and trades to ensure jobs for middle class families.
  • I believe in a Washington that prioritizes inclusion, invests in humans, and embraces our diversity.


MY MISSION

To develop a thriving, prosperous middle class by investing in education, tackling our growth and traffic challenges and creating safe and secure neighborhoods for our families.


MY VALUES

The values that drive my personal life are compassion, action and justice. The values that will help accomplish our mission and take us to our vision are:

Community—Building connections, respecting the difference and value of others

Compassion—Having understanding and empathy for others

Responsibility—Taking accountability for decisions and actions

Honesty—Being fair and truthful

Integrity—Maintaining moral and ethical standards [11]

”
—Manka Dhingra’s campaign website (2024)[12]

2022

Manka Dhingra did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2017

Dingra's campaign website highlighted the following campaign themes:[13]

“ Education
  • We need to make early learning and high quality childcare more accessible so our youngest learners enter the classroom ready to learn. I will work to protect and improve our great schools so that children of all abilities can thrive and graduate with the skills for a successful transition to adulthood.

Transportation & Growth

  • I want the Eastside to continue to drive global innovation while still being able to drive to work, school, and community events safely. That means keeping impaired drivers off our roads and repairing crumbling infrastructure to ensure our roadways are safe.

Health & Safety

  • We can improve public safety, save taxpayer resources, and help people through difficult times by closing the revolving door of jail, homelessness, and crime that impacts too many Veterans and people struggling with mental illness and substance use disorder. Through innovation and reform, we can continue making progress at the state level in how we address these interrelated challenges, helping people and strengthening communities.

Accountability

  • As your Senator I will work to increase government transparency and to close outdated tax loopholes so we can invest in the programs that are important to local families. By increasing accountability to you, we can secure the funds to support our seniors and veterans, to expand mental health services, and to invest in renewable energies and better protect our environment for our children and grandchildren.

Rights

  • We are facing direct attacks on the progress we have made in building a strong economy, a skilled, diverse workforce, great public schools, and the fundamental rights of women and immigrants. To protect what we cherish here on the Eastside, we need new voices committed to equity and inclusion and that are dedicated to breaking through the partisanship and gridlock that has held us back from reaching our full potential.[11]
 ”

Does Washington State Senate candidate Manka Dhingra support a state income tax?
September 12, 2017: Control of the Washington State Senate is at stake in the November 7 special election. Democrat Manka Dhingra and Republican Jinyoung Lee Englund will face off in the 45th District, which saw highly competitive Senate races in 2014 and 2010. An online ad by Working Families PAC claims, "Dhingra wants to pick our pocket with a new income tax."
Does Dhingra support a state income tax? Read Ballotpedia's fact check »


Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Dhingra was assigned to the following committees:

2021-2022

Dhingra was assigned to the following committees:

2019-2020

Dhingra was assigned to the following committees:


The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Manka Dhingra campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Attorney General of WashingtonLost primary$1,291,279 $1,313,286
2022Washington State Senate District 45Won general$378,611 $468,511
2018Washington State Senate District 45Won general$316,778 N/A**
Grand total$1,986,668 $1,781,797
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Washington

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Washington scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.


2024


2023


2022


2021


2020


2019


2018


2017




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External links

Candidate

Washington State Senate District 45
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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ electmanka.com, "About Manka," accessed May 23, 2017
    2. ↑ The Seattle Times, "Trump effect? Control of Washington state Legislature hinges on this critical Eastside race," May 14, 2017
    3. ↑ The Seattle Times, "Seattle City Council approves income tax on the rich, but quick legal challenge likely," July 10, 2017
    4. ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "November 7, 2017 General Election Results," accessed November 28, 2017
    5. ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "August 1, 2017 Primary Results," accessed August 28, 2017
    6. ↑ Seattle pi, "Connelly: Poll has Democrat leading in battle to control the Legislature," September 21, 2017
    7. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
    8. ↑ Statistical Atlas, "Overview of State Senate District 45, Washington," accessed July 6, 2017
    9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Washington Public Disclosure Commission, "Legislative Candidates," accessed October 31, 2017
    10. ↑ electmanka.com, "Endorsements," accessed May 23, 2017
    11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    12. ↑ Manka Dhingra for Attorney General, “My Vision,” accessed July 22, 2024
    13. ↑ electmanka.com, "My Vision," accessed May 23, 2017

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