From top left: Andrea Chin, Janet Chung, Kuljinder Dhillon, Manka Dhingra, Davina Duerr, Mia Gregerson, Gregg Hirakawa, Steve Hobbs, Ryika Hooshangi, Pramila Jayapal, Leesa Manion, Fa’amomoi Masaniai, Jr., Joe Nguyen, Cindy Ryu, Sharon Santos, Vandana Slatter, Marilyn Strickland, My-Linh Thai, Pooja Vaddadi, and Mary Yu
Washington State’s 2022 election will be held on November 8 and will include races for the U.S. Senate and Congress, as well as for the Washington State Secretary of State and the Washington Supreme Court.
Ballots have been mailed and must be postmarked or returned to the ballot drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Here are the AAPI candidates hoping to win the vote in King County.
federal
U.S. Congressional Representative for District 7
Pramila Jayapal
Rep. Pramila Jayapal was first elected in 2016 and is currently serving her third term as the U.S. representative for Washington’s 7th District.
She chairs the 96-member Congressional Progressive Caucus and also serves on the House Judiciary, Education and Labor, and Budget Committees. Jayapal worked in global public health and development for decades before becoming the first South Asian American woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
U.S. Congressional Representative for District 10
Marilyn Strickland
Rep. Marilyn Strickland is seeking re-election in Washington’s 10th District. She previously served as mayor of Tacoma and will join Congress in 2021 as the first black and Korean-American representative from Washington. She has also led the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Pierce Transportation.
In her years of service to the public, Strickland has worked to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, restore Social Security and Veterans benefits, and get businesses to pay their fair share of taxes.
state
Secretary of State
Steve Hobbs
As Washington’s 16th Secretary of State, Steve Hobbs was the son of a Japanese immigrant.
He served three years in the U.S. Army and National Guard, earning the rank of lieutenant colonel. Hobbs, who has completed tours in Kosovo and Iraq, recently commanded more than 750 members on Task Force Olympic, a mission in western Washington in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
First Legislative District Representative
Davina Durr
Rep. Davina Duerr, who is running for state representative in the First Legislative District, also served as City Councilor for Bothell, and she currently serves on the Transportation, Consumer Protection, and Commerce and Local Government Committees and has served as a Vice-President Local Government Committee. She is a licensed architect working for an architectural firm in Bellevue.
Representative of the 32nd Legislative District
Cindy Liu
Rep. Cindy Ryu is seeking a seventh term in the state House. She was first elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2012, 2014 and 2016.
Ryu, a former Shoreline City Councilman, served as the city’s mayor, becoming the first Korean-American female mayor in the United States.
She chairs the Committee on Community Development, Housing and Tribal Affairs, which has jurisdiction over tourism, veterans, and community resilience.
Representative of the 33rd Legislative District
Mia Suling Gregson
Rep. Mia Su-Ling Gregerson, a state representative since 2013, chairs the House Committee on State Government and Tribal Relations and serves on the Labor and Workplace Standards and Appropriations Committees.
During her tenure as legislator, she has fought for policies to protect tenants’ housing rights, address disparities in internet access and equipment purchases, and address the food insecurity crisis in Washington state.
34th Legislative District Senator
Joe Nguyen
Since being elected Washington’s first Vietnamese-American state senator in 2018, Nguyen has supported legislation to help working families, rebuild social safety nets and fight climate change by investing in green public transportation.
His parents fled the Vietnam War as refugees, and Nguyen was a janitor in his high school, washing dishes in college to make ends meet.
Representative of the 37th Legislative District
Sharon Fumiko Santos
Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, first elected in 1998, provided more civil rights and freedoms for women and underserved Washingtonians, provided more financial resources for public schools, and worked to shrink opportunities for students and young people gap.
She is a founding member of the Immigration and America Working Group and a former board member of the Seattle chapter of JACL.
41st Legislative District Representative
Merrill
Rep. My-Linh Thai is a former Bellevue School District principal, healthcare professional and award-winning PTSA parent who works to improve education, opportunity and quality of life for all Washingtonians.
She supports and supports legislation to guarantee access to quality local schools, prioritize food and stability for students, and ensure access to courts for all, regardless of immigration status.
45th Legislative District Senator
mancadingra
Manka Dhingra is a State Senator, Deputy Senate Majority Leader, and Chair of the Legal and Judiciary Committee.
Since January 2000, she has served as the Senior Deputy Attorney for King County.
Before becoming a prosecutor, she interned in the criminal division of the state attorney general’s office, assisting in sexually violent predator cases.
Rika Hoshanji
Ryika Hooshangi is a lawyer in the Sammamish Plateau Water District
Commissioner challenging Manka Dhingra for a state Senate seat in District 45.
Born and raised in Redmond, Hooshangi said on her campaign website that she will work tirelessly to address the most pressing issues facing residents of the 45th District — public safety, affordability and education.
48th Legislative District Representative
Wandana Slater
Rep. Vandana Slatt is a former Bellevue City Councilman, community leader, public school parent, and biotechnology and healthcare professional.
A PharmD, Slatter has spent the past 20+ years with leading biotechnology companies, including Amgen and Genentech. She is a licensed pharmacist in Washington State.
Her mission is to build safe, healthy communities and economies that work for all.
county
King County Prosecutor
Lisa Building
Leesa Manion, who has 27 years of deputy prosecutor experience, will be the first woman and person of color to serve as King County’s prosecutor.
In her candidacy statement, Manion said she is the only candidate in the office to develop criminal justice policy and lead the team of prosecutors and lead efforts to increase support for victims of domestic violence and assault and establish alternative sentencing models. .
judicial
Supreme Court of Western Australia, Chancellorship 1
Mary you
Mary Yu has been a Supreme Court Justice since 2014 and also has 14 years of experience as a trial judge and 7 years as a deputy prosecutor in civil and criminal cases.
Judge Yu is the first Asian, Latino and LGBTQ+ community member to serve on the Supreme Court. In addition to serving as a judge, she has mentored hundreds of new judges, young lawyers, and law students over the past 22 years.
Court of Appeals, 1st District, 1st District, Judge Post 7
Janet Bell
Judge Janet Chung has more than 25 years of experience as a state and federal court litigator and legislative advocate. Her practice focuses on legal aid, access to healthcare, worker protection and gender justice.
Judge Chung was supported by all nine state Supreme Court justices, all appellate court judges who could support it, Attorney General Bob Ferguson and others.
King County, Southwest Electoral District, Judge Position 4
Faamomoi Masaniai, Jr.
Candidate Statement: Growing up in the White Center/Brienne area, I understand the struggles most people face, the pressures local businesses go through, and the difficulties law enforcement faces every day. I will make decisions based on the law, but look to the future. I’ll make sure everyone who comes before me is heard. I want the field to be the best it can be.
King County, West District, Judge Position 2
Culkind Dillon
In 1989, Judge Kuljinder Dhillon’s East Indian family immigrated to the United States, and before going to law school, she became an advocate for victims of domestic violence in the King County Attorney’s Office.
For 17 years, she served King County’s underprivileged as a public defender and private attorney. Dhillon serves on the advisory board of the Institute of Justice, which works to diversify the judiciary in Washington State.
King County, West District, Judge Position 4
Greg Hirakawa
Judge Gregg Hirakawa was first elected to the King County District Court in November 2016 after being appointed to the position in May 2016. He has experience as a prosecutor and public defender dedicated to protecting individual liberties while maintaining public safety. In private practice, he successfully represents children, seniors and veterans in guardianship, trust and disability litigation, and protects vulnerable adults from abuse and financial exploitation.
City of Seattle, City Court Judge Position 2
Andre Chin
Judge Andrea Chin was elected to the Seattle City Court in November 2018 after 26 years of public service experience as an assistant to the city
Attorney at the Seattle City Attorney’s Office. She has presided over the general trial court, handling arraignments, pre-trial hearings, trials, sentencing and post-resolution review hearings. Her current rotation is the court’s domestic violence calendar.
City of Seattle, City Court Judge Position 3
Puja Vaddadi
Pooja Vaddadi will be the first South Asian woman elected to the Seattle City Court.
She has practiced in the district courts of Snohomish and King counties, and most recently in the Seattle Municipal Court. She has exclusive support from the King County Democrats, King County Young Democrats, Diversity and Inclusion Democrats, and the Women’s Political Caucus.
If we have missed any AAPI candidates, please contact us at Editor @nwasianweekly.com.
