Washington state legislative special elections, 2017

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2017 State Legislative Special Elections
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Special elections took place in the Washington State Senate and Washington House of Representatives on November 7, 2017, in order to address eight vacated seats between the two chambers. The vacated seats included five seats in the state Senate and three seats in the state House.

HIGHLIGHTS

The competitive nature of the Senate District 45 race afforded Democrats the opportunity to gain control of the chamber. 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. Manka Dhingra (D) defeated Jinyoung Lee Englund (R) in the Senate District 45 general election. For more information on the District 45 race, see below.

Dhingra was sworn into office on November 29, 2017. Her swearing-in gave Democrats full control of the state Senate and a state government trifecta in Washington. Single-party control of state government 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.

Campaign finance reports at the time of the election showed that nearly $9 million had been spent on the District 45 race. The Dhingra campaign and Englund campaign spent a combined $2.8 million in direct contributions. The elections in 2014 and 2010 saw candidates raising a combined $1.5 million and $710,000 respectively. In 2017, another $5.8 million was spent in independent expenditures between the two general election candidates. Of the $5.8 million spent in independent expenditures, $4.2 million was spent in opposition to either campaign.

How vacancies are filled in Washington

If there is a vacancy in the Washington State Legislature, the board of county commissioners where the vacant seat is located has the responsibility to select a replacement. The county central committee of the political party that last held the seat must submit a list of three candidates to the board of county commissioners representing the vacant district. If the vacancy occurs in the office of a joint senator or joint representative, the state central committee is responsible for submitting the list of three candidates. A selection must be made within 60 days after the vacancy occurred. The person appointed will hold the seat until his or her successor is elected at the next general or special election in November.

See sources: Washington Const. Art. 2, Sec. 15

About the legislature

The Washington State Legislature is a bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, with 98 representatives, and the upper Washington State Senate, with 49 senators. The boxes below show the partisan composition of both chambers directly before and after the November 2016 elections. For the most up-to-date numbers on partisan composition in this legislature, see here (Senate) and here (House).

Washington State Senate
Party		As of November 7, 2016	After November 8, 2016
	Democratic Party	24	25
	Republican Party	25	24
Total		49	49

Washington House of Representatives
Party		As of November 7, 2016	After November 8, 2016
	Democratic Party	50	50
	Republican Party	48	48
Total		98	98

Special elections

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The following table details results of the 2016 elections by legislative district in Washington. The "Control prior" and "Control after" columns describe the partisan control of each seat before and after the November 2017 special elections. The "2016 presidential" column describes the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates within the legislative district. The "2016 legislative" column describes the margin of victory for that seat in 2016.

Click [show] below the table for additional details on each special election.

Washington 2017 state legislative special elections
Seat	Control prior	Control after	2016 presidential	2016 legislative
Senate District 7	Republican	Republican	R+34.5	R+100
House District 7	Republican	Republican	R+34.5	R+100
Senate District 31	Republican	Republican	R+8.5	R+100
House District 31	Republican	Republican	R+8.5	R+15.5
Senate District 37	Democratic	Democratic	D+78.9	D+100
Senate District 45	Republican	Democratic	D+36.8	R+5.4
Senate District 48	Democratic	Democratic	D+43.2	D+29.7
House District 48	Democratic	Democratic	D+43.2	D+40.2

What was at stake

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. 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.

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.

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). 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. 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. 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	Manka 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. 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.

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.

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. 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.

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

Manka Dhingra (D)

Manka 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. On her campaign website, Dhingra listed as key priorities education, transportation & growth, health & safety, accountability, and rights.

Jinyoung Lee Englund (R)

Jinyoung Lee Englund's professional experience includes working as an aide on the leadership staff for Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers and as vice president of strategy for the Digital Currency Council. She earned her B.A. in comparative history of ideas from the University of Washington. On her campaign website, Englund listed as key priorities state income tax, education, traffic congestion, and car tabs.

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 »

Campaign media

Manka Dhingra

   

Dhingra's campaign ads can be found on her website, here.

Jinyoung Lee Englund

   

Englund's campaign ads can be found on her website, here.

Seattle City Club debate

Dhingra and Englund participated in a luncheon debate on October 10, 2017. The debate was held by the Seattle City Club at the Microsoft Conference Center in Redmond, with KIRO 7 moderating and filming the event. A video of the debate can be seen here.

A brief history of Washington politics

In elections from the mid-1990s to 2016, Washington generally leaned towards the Democratic Party. Democrats held majorities in the state Senate and state House in most years during that time period. The Democratic majority in the state Senate was disrupted after the 2012 elections, when coalitions formed between the Republican caucus and some Democratic senators. Those coalitions gave effective control of the chamber to Republicans. Republicans held the state House in the mid-1990s until the chamber moved to a split balance after the 1998 elections. Democrats gained control of the state House in 2002. Washington voters have elected all Democratic governors during the same period.

Heading into the special election, Washington was one of 19 states under divided government. The state Senate being in play afforded Democrats the opportunity to gain a trifecta. A state government trifecta is a term used to describe single party government, when one political party holds the governorship, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state house in a state's government. The 2016 elections resulted in six Democratic trifectas, 25 Republican trifectas, and 19 states under divided government.

Washington Party Control: 1992-2024
Eighteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Governor	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
House	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	S	S	S	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

Washington State Senate history

Democrats won control of the Washington State Senate in 2018. In 2024, they won a 30-19 majority.

The table below shows the partisan history of the Washington Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2024. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

Washington State Senate election results: 1992-2024

Year	'92	'94	'96	'98	'00	'02	'04	'06	'08	'10	'12	'14	'16	'18	'20	'22	'24
Democrats	28	25	23	28	25	24	26	32	31	27	26	24	25	29	29	29	30
Republicans	21	24	26	21	24	25	23	17	18	22	23	25	24*	20	20	20	19

*A Democrat caucused with Republicans, giving the Republican Party a one-member majority.

2017 state budget conflict

See also: Potential government shutdowns

In 2017, Washington was one of six states that were on the verge of a partial government shutdown or faced potential spending cuts to nonessential government services. State governments establish annual spending and revenue levels by agreeing on a budget, a process that involves both the legislative and executive branches of government. For 46 states, budgets operate along fiscal years that run from July 1 to June 30—the four states that operate along other timelines are New York, Texas, Alabama, and Michigan. When a state's legislative and executive branches fail to settle on a budget agreement before the end of a fiscal year, this sometimes results in cuts to government services or partial government shutdowns in which nonessential services cease to operate until a budget deal is reached. Nonessential services include things like Bureau of Motor Vehicle branches, state parks, and state lotteries. Read below about the details of Washington's near government shutdown in 2017.

• Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed into law a two-year $43.7 billion operating budget at 11:00 pm on June 30, allowing the state to enter into the 2018 fiscal year on July 1 with a spending plan in place. Without it, Washington would have experienced its first-ever partial government shutdown. Budget negotiations in Washington throughout 2017 centered largely on the issue of funding education. In 2012, the Washington Supreme Court ruled that the state was underfunding education and required the legislature to ensure full funding for K-12 education by 2018. Inslee and Democratic lawmakers in the state proposed tax increases to bolster funding for education, while Republican lawmakers argued that the state could meet most of the requirements of the 2012 state Supreme Court ruling without significant tax increases throughout the state as a whole. The final budget agreement provided an additional $7.3 billion for education funding in the state between 2018 and 2021 and included a Republican-backed plan to increase property taxes in areas such as King County, where the city of Seattle is located. An analysis of the plan showed that residents in 185 school districts would see property taxes decreases over the next four years, while 100 districts would property taxes increase. The House supported the bill 70-23, while the Senate supported it 39-10.

Special elections throughout the country

See also: State legislative special elections, 2017

Between 2011 and 2016, an average of 70 special elections took place each year. A total of 25 states use special elections to fill legislative vacancies. In two other states—Illinois and Indiana—special elections are used in limited circumstances. The rest of the states fill vacancies either through appointments made by the governor of the state or by a commission made up of officials from the former member's party. In 2017, 98 state legislative seats were filled through special elections.

Breakdown of 2017 special elections

In 2017, special elections for state legislative positions were held for a variety of reasons:

• 46 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
• 1 due to an ineligible general election candidate
• 15 due to the incumbent accepting another job
• 22 due to a retirement
• 15 due to a death

The partisan breakdown for the special elections was as follows:

• 46 Democratic seats
• 53 Republican seats

Impact of special elections on partisan composition

The table below details how many seats changed parties as the result of a special election. The number on the left reflects how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the number on the right shows how many vacant seats each party won in the special elections. It is not typical to see significant net changes in overall state legislative party composition because of special elections. In elections between 2011 and 2016, one party (either Republicans or Democrats) saw an average net gain of three seats across the country, although actual races won and lost by each party varied more. For instance, in 2015, Democrats lost nine seats to Republicans but won six different seats in other races, resulting in a net loss of three seats.

Note: This table reflects information for elections that were held and not total vacant seats.

Partisan Change from Special Elections
Party		As of Special Election	After Special Election
	Democratic Party	45	56
	Republican Party	53	42
	Independent	-	-
Total		98	98

Flipped seats

In total, 17 state legislative seats flipped party control in 2017. Democrats flipped 14 seats and Republicans flipped three seats as a result of special state legislative elections in 2017.

Seats flipped from D to R

• Louisiana House of Representatives District 42 (March 25)
• Mississippi State Senate District 10 (November 28)
• Massachusetts State Senate Worcester & Middlesex District (December 5)

Seats flipped from R to D

• New Hampshire House of Representatives District Carroll 6 (May 23)
• New York State Assembly District 9 (May 23)
• Oklahoma State Senate District 44 (July 11)
• Oklahoma House of Representatives District 75 (July 11)
• New Hampshire House of Representatives District Belknap 9 (September 12)
• Oklahoma House of Representatives District 46 (September 12)
• New Hampshire House of Representatives District Rockingham 4 (September 26)
• Florida State Senate District 40 (September 26)
• New Hampshire House of Representatives District Hillsborough 15 (November 7)
• Georgia House of Representatives District 117 (November 7)
• Georgia House of Representatives District 119 (November 7)
• Washington State Senate District 45 (November 7)
• Oklahoma State Senate District 37 (November 14)
• Georgia State Senate District 6 (December 5)

See also

• State legislative special elections, 2017
• State legislative special elections, 2016
• State legislative special elections, 2015
• Washington State Legislature

Footnotes

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