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special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...
was held on November 7, 2017, to fill the vacant seat in the
Washington State Senate The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 members, each representing a district with a population of nearly 160,000. The State Senate meets at the Legislative Building in Olympi ...
representing the 45th district. The seat was left vacant after the death of incumbent Andy Hill in October 2016.
Dino Rossi Dino John Rossi (born October 15, 1959) is an American businessman and politician who served as a Washington State Senate, Washington State Senator thrice, from 1997 to 2003, in 2012, and again from 2016 to 2017. A Republican Party (United States ...
, a former candidate for U.S. Senate in
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
and for governor in
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
and
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, was appointed to fill the seat until the election. He announced that he would not run for the seat. The election was then contested between
Manka Dhingra Manka Dhingra (born 1973 or 1974) is an Indian-American attorney and politician who is a Washington State senator. A member of the Democratic Party, she was elected to represent the 45th legislative district, on Seattle's Eastside in King Co ...
of the Democratic Party and Jinyoung Lee Englund of the Republican Party, who advanced as the top two finishers in the August primary. Dhingra won the election by more than ten percent, giving the Democratic caucus a 25–24 majority for the 2018 session. Hill, a Republican, held the district from 2011 to 2016, helping give the Republican Party a one-seat majority coalition in the state senate with a Democrat. The election attracted interest from national Democratic and Republican donors, contributing more than $9 million in the state's costliest ever state legislative race.


Background

The 45th legislative district comprised the northeastern suburbs of
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
in King County, including the cities of Duvall and
Woodinville Woodinville is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is a part of the Seattle metropolitan area. There is also a much larger population with Woodinville mailing addresses in adjacent unincorporated areas of King ( Cottage Lake) and ...
and parts of Kirkland, Redmond, and
Sammamish Sammamish ( ) is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 67,455 at the 2020 census. Located on a plateau, the city is bordered by Lake Sammamish to the west and the Snoqualmie Valley to the east. Sammamish is a resid ...
. In 2017, the district's residents had a median household income of $110,881, double the state median, and were more likely to hold bachelor's degrees; the region included employees of the area's high tech industry, as well as traditional industries like horse farms and wineries. The 45th district's population was 74 percent
white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 15 percent
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, and 6 percent
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
. In the 2016 presidential election,
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
carried the district with 64.8 percent of votes. The Eastside region was historically a Republican stronghold, but Democratic candidates began winning seats in the early 2000s. The 45th district elected former
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
executive Eric Oemig to the state senate in 2006, during a close election with the district's Republican representative
Toby Nixon Toby Nixon (born March 26, 1959) is an American politician in Washington. Nixon is serving as a member of the Kirkland City Council from Position 4 since 2012. Nixon is a former Republican member of Washington House of Representatives, representi ...
. Oemig lost re-election in 2010 to Republican Andy Hill, also a former Microsoft executive, during a campaign partially funded by the Koch-directed national
Americans for Prosperity Americans for Prosperity (AFP), founded in 2004, is a libertarian conservative political advocacy group in the United States funded by Charles Koch and formerly his brother David. As the Koch brothers' primary political advocacy group, it is one ...
organization. Hill was re-elected in 2014 during a high-profile contest against
Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...
product manager Matt Isenhower that attracted funding from out of state because of its potential to flip the state senate. Hill remained popular among constituents of the district and was the chief budget writer for the Republican Party during his second term; the Republican Party had also considered him as a potential gubernatorial candidate. He died of lung cancer on October 31, 2016. Two-time losing gubernatorial and also losing U.S. Senate candidate
Dino Rossi Dino John Rossi (born October 15, 1959) is an American businessman and politician who served as a Washington State Senate, Washington State Senator thrice, from 1997 to 2003, in 2012, and again from 2016 to 2017. A Republican Party (United States ...
was appointed by the Republican Party and
Metropolitan King County Council The Metropolitan King County Council, the legislative body of King County, Washington, consists of nine members elected by district. The Council adopts laws, sets policy, and holds final approval over the budget. Its current name and structure i ...
to fill the vacant seat. Rossi declined to run for election to the seat, leaving the 2017 special election open for candidates of both major parties. Prior to the election, majority control of the 49-member state senate rested with the 25 members of the
Majority Coalition Caucus The Majority Coalition Caucus (MCC) was a caucus formed on December 10, 2012, by all 23 Republican members of the Washington State Senate and two Democratic senators. Its membership constituted a majority of the chamber's 49 members, allowing i ...
, composed of 24 Republicans and one self-identified Democrat. The Governor's office and a narrow majority in the state
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
were both held by the Democrats. The change of party for the 45th district, the most competitive of several special elections for the state senate in 2017, would complete a Democrat
trifecta file:Trifecta.svg, Trifecta A trifecta is a parimutuel betting, parimutuel bet placed on a horse race in which the bettor must predict which horses will finish first, second, and third, in the exact order. Known as a trifecta in the US and Austra ...
for the 2018 legislative session. The Democrats last held a trifecta in the Washington state government from 2005 to 2012.


Candidates

The district's Democratic representatives,
Larry Springer Lawrence Stanley Springer (born January 30, 1947) is a Democratic member of the Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washing ...
and
Roger Goodman Roger Elliot Goodman (born 1961) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a Democratic member of the Washington House of Representatives, representing the 45th district since 2007. Goodman won re-election in 2012 against Republican Joel ...
, both declined to run for the seat. Deputy King County prosecutor
Manka Dhingra Manka Dhingra (born 1973 or 1974) is an Indian-American attorney and politician who is a Washington State senator. A member of the Democratic Party, she was elected to represent the 45th legislative district, on Seattle's Eastside in King Co ...
emerged as an early Democratic front-runner, announcing her candidacy in February and earning the 45th District Democrats's endorsement in April. Dhingra, a Sikh, immigrated to the United States from India with her family at the age of 13 and was raised in California. She has been part of the King County Prosecutor's Office since 2000, supervising the regional mental health and veteran court systems. Dhingra was involved in various non-profit organizations centered around advocacy for mental health and domestic violence survivors; she described herself as non-partisan until the 2016 presidential election. Ian Stratton, a Democratic activist from Sammamish, initially filed to run but dropped out before the primary election. Jinyoung Lee Englund announced her campaign for the Republican nominating in April, after being recruited by Dino Rossi. Englund was born in South Korea and raised in University Place, attending the
University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...
. She worked for Christian missionary organization
Iris Global Iris Global, previously Iris Ministries, is a Christian interdenominational, missionary organization that provides humanitarian aid in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Members of Iris seek to spread the gospel while perfor ...
in Mozambique before returning to Washington as an aide to Republican congresswoman
Cathy McMorris Rodgers Cathy Anne McMorris Rodgers (born May 22, 1969) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for , which encompasses the eastern third of the state and includes Spokane, the state's second-largest city. A Republican, McMorris Rodgers ...
. Englund also worked for Dino Rossi's unsuccessful Senate campaign in 2010, for
Elaine Chao Elaine Lan Chao (born March 26, 1953) is an American businesswoman and former government official. A member of the Republican Party, she served as the 18th United States secretary of transportation in the Trump administration from 2017 to 2021, ...
at the
Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (abbreviated to Heritage) is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. that is primarily geared toward public policy. The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the presiden ...
, and as an advocate for
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. A second Republican candidate, Ken Smith, filed to run but withdrew in May. Parker Harris, a teacher and engineer from Woodinville, filed to run as an independent candidate in May.


Campaign


Endorsements

Dhingra attracted endorsements from local and prominent national Democrats, including former Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Senators
Patty Murray Patricia Lynn Murray (; born October 11, 1950) is an American politician and educator who is the senior United States senator from Washington since 1993. A member of the Democratic Party, Murray was in the Washington State Senate from 1988 to ...
and
Maria Cantwell Maria Ellen Cantwell (; born October 13, 1958) is an American politician and former businesswoman serving as the junior United States senator from Washington since 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the Washington ...
, Governor
Jay Inslee Jay Robert Inslee (; born February 9, 1951) is an American politician, lawyer, and economist who has served as the 23rd governor of Washington since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a member of the U.S. House of Representat ...
, and King County Executive
Dow Constantine James Dow Constantine (born November 15, 1961) is an American politician, lawyer, and urban planner in the state of Washington who is serving his third term as King County Executive, an office he has held since November 2009. He was in the stat ...
.


Fundraising

The election generated national interest due to its potential to determine control of the state government. During the primary campaign, a total $3 million in campaign contributions were reported for the Democratic and Republican candidates. By the end of the general campaign in November, a total of $9 million had been spent in the race, making it the costliest ever for a Washington state legislative election. A total of $4.2 million was raised by Democrats for Dhingra, and $4.8 million by Republicans for Englund. Negative campaign ads cost $1.8 million for Democratic supporters and $2.5 million for Republican supporters.


Advertising

The national prominence and fundraising for the election brought an unusually large number of
attack ads Attack may refer to: Warfare and combat * Offensive (military) * Charge (warfare) * Attack (fencing) * Strike (attack) * Attack (computing) * Attack aircraft Books and publishing * ''The Attack'' (novel), a book * ''Attack No. 1'', comic and ...
and amount of advertising to the Eastside. Several ads from both campaigns were criticized for misleading the public on the candidate's past histories and political positions. The Republican campaign, without authorization from Englund, produced a series of spoof advertisements that painted Dhingra supporters as stereotypical "Seattle liberals".


Primary election results

The primary election garnered $3 million in total fundraising. Dhingra won the primary election, with 51 percent of the vote, followed by Englund with 41 percent and Harris with 7 percent. Dhingra and Englund advanced to the general election.


General election polling


General election results

In the second round, with over $9 million spent on the election through campaign contributions and political action committee expenditures, with a small number of votes yet to be counted,
Manka Dhingra Manka Dhingra (born 1973 or 1974) is an Indian-American attorney and politician who is a Washington State senator. A member of the Democratic Party, she was elected to represent the 45th legislative district, on Seattle's Eastside in King Co ...
led Republican Jinyoung Englund by over a 10% margin. Anticipating the Dhingra victory, Democrat Senate Democratic Minority Leader Sharon Nelson had described a comprehensive agenda for the 60-day legislative session beginning in January that included proposed voting rights reform and campaign-finance disclosure revision, as well as women's reproductive health, clean energy and firearms safety measures.


Aftermath

Dhingra's election gave the Democratic Party a one-seat majority in the state senate, completing one-party rule of the state legislative and executive branches. Washington joined the states of California and Oregon to complete a "blue wall" along the West Coast, all sharing a Democrat
government trifecta A government trifecta is a political situation in which the same political party controls the executive branch and both chambers of the legislative branch in countries that have a bicameral legislature and an executive that is not fused. The ter ...
. Dhingra was named as the deputy majority leader in the Senate and assigned as the chair of the Behavioral Health Subcommittee. She retained the 45th district seat by being re-elected in 2018.


References

{{Washington elections Washington State Senate elections Senate 45th Senate 2017 45