Washington's forty-fifth state senate district is represented by Democratic Senator Manka Dhingra.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 136,432 civilians reside within the 241.9 square miles of Washington's forty-fifth state senate district. The population per square mile is 579. The median age of these residents is 38.8. Washington's state senators represent an average of 137,236 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 120,288 residents.

About the office

Members of the Washington State Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Washington legislators assume office the first day of session.

Qualifications

Section 7 of Article 2 of the Washington State Constitution states, "No person shall be eligible to the legislature who shall not be a citizen of the United States and a qualified voter in the district for which he is chosen."

Salaries

Vacancies

If there is a vacancy in the senate, the Board of County Commissioners where the vacant seat is located has the responsibility to select a replacement. The state 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. A selection must be made within 60 days after the vacancy happened. The person appointed will hold the seat until his or her successor is elected at the next general election.

Elections

2020

Elections for the office of Washington State Senate will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary is scheduled for August 4, 2020. The filing deadline is May 15, 2020.

2018

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. 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

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

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

2014

Elections for 25 districts in the Washington State Senate took place in 2014. A blanket primary election took place on August 5, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 17, 2014. Matt Isenhower (D) and incumbent Andy Hill (R) were unopposed in the primary. Isenhower was defeated by Hill in the general election.

Washington State Senate, District 45 General Election, 2014

2010

Elections for the office of Washington State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 17, 2010, and a general election on November 2, 2010. Republican Andy Hill defeated incumbent Democrat Eric Oemig in the general election. Hill and Oemig were unopposed in the blanket primary election.

Washington State Senate, District 45, General Election, 2010

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2014, candidates for Washington State Senate District 45 raised a total of $2,883,193. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $262,108 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Washington State Senate District 45