As an Indian Sikh immigrant, Manka Dhingra saw people in her community fearing for their safety after Donald Trump was elected president. Dhingra heard Indian mothers recount how their children’s classmates teased them, telling them that they’d be deported under the new president.
“I never expected an election to hit me as hard as it did,” she said. “[People in the community] didn’t know if they would be in the country the following year. I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God. This is not what I remember America to be like growing up.'”
Dhingra, a Democrat, is running for a seat in the Washington State Senate to represent the 45th Legislative District, which includes Duvall, Kirkland, Redmond, and Sammamish. Republican state senator Andy Hill, who represented the 45th, died of cancer in October 2016, which led to the special election.
All eyes are on Dhingra’s race. She offers the best chance for Democrats to flip the state senate to blue. The party last held a majority in 2012.
