Reputed pro-choice group endorses Indian-American candidate for Washington State Senate

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EMILY’s List, a national organization which advocates for and funds the election of pro-choice women to office, endorsed Senior Deputy King County Prosecutor Manka Dhingra in her campaign for the Washington State Senate seat from the 45th Legislative District.

Democrats see the 45th District seat as ripe for flipping to their side of the aisle, giving them a majority in the state Senate. Washington State currently has a Democratic pro-choice governor and a Democratic majority in the State House. A Special Election is scheduled Aug. 1, for the 45th LD seat.

“Washington’s families deserve leaders like Manka who fight for their rights and progressive values – not politicians who put party and politics over the people they claim to represent,”  Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY’s List, is quoted saying in a press release. Schriock added.

“I will be the vote that delivers a pro-choice majority to Washington State and prevents the roll back of women’s health care and reproductive rights,” Dhingra said thanking EMILY’S List for endorsing her.

Elaine Rose, CEO of Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii, described Dhingra as a “pro-women’s health champion” whose vote would help protect women’s rights and demand insurance companies cover benefits such as contraception, cancer screenings, and mammograms. Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice Washington have also endorsed Dhingra.

Dhingra has raised close to $420,000 from more than 3,500 individual donors and has received donations from every city in the 45th Legislative District, with 96 percent of the donations from individuals.

Apart from being the Senior Deputy King County Prosecutor, Dhingra is  chair of the County’s Therapeutic Alternative Unit where she oversees the Regional Veteran’s Court, Mental Health Court, and a diversion program.  A long-time advocate for the victims of domestic violence, Dhingra co-founded Chaya, for women of South Asian origin, and currently sits on the board of the mental health advocacy group NAMI Eastside.  Dhingra also trains law enforcement personnel on crisis intervention response.

A mother of two children who attend Redmond Middle School and Redmond High School, Dhingra is married to Harjit Singh, a ‘Distinguished Engineer’ at SpaceX and former Microsoft executive. They live in the Education Hill neighborhood of Redmond, Washington.