Manka Dhingra
Indian-American Democrat Manka Dhingra claimed an August 1 primary win for the Washington State Senate seat in Washington’s 45th Legislative District

SEATTLE (Diya TV) — Indian-American Democrat Manka Dhingra claimed an August 1 primary win in Washington’s 45th Legislative District, defeating Republican Jinyoung Lee Englund.

The 42-year-old Sikh American garnered 51.05 percent votes, receiving 14,605 of the 28,612 votes cast ina  race that head there candidates and some write-in votes.

The Senate seat became vacant with the 2016 death of Republican Senator Andy Hill.

Dhingra, a senior deputy King County Prosecutor since 2000, announced her candidacy for the Eastside district earlier this year and this was her first campaign for public office.

“To each and every member of the 45th district, thank you for voting!,” Dhingra said in a Facebook post. “Everyone at TeamManka is feeling the love from all corners of our beautiful district. We’ve still got a lot of work in front of us, onwards to the general!”

Dhingra, a longtime advocate for women’s and immigrant rights, co-founded Chaya (now API Chaya) leading the organization’s work to end systemic violence through education, prevention, and organization. She served on the Seattle Police Department Muslim, Arab and Sikh Advisory Council to address hate crime issues following 9/11.

“After building a career as a prosecutor, mental health and domestic violence prevention leader, and volunteering in my kids’ schools, I recognized the urgent need to stand up for our rights and values following the election of President Trump … To protect what we cherish here on the Eastside, we need new voices with experience and passion committed to leading with compassion and integrity … Let’s strengthen our communities, together!” says Dhingra’s campaign website.

The India-born Dhingra moved to the U.S. at the age of 13. Her education included a juris doctorate from the University Of Washington School Of Law. and a bachelor’s in History and Political Science from the UC Berkeley.

Her husband Harjit Singh, is an engineer at SpaceX and former Microsoft executive.

Dhingra will once again square off with Englund in the general election on November 7.