Recap

We're one seat away, with two key special elections just six months from now! (November 2017) Gaining just one seat will break the gridlock in Olympia and open a path to progress in Washington: for our schools, for clean energy, for protecting health care, and more. This newsletter will introduce you to the candidate in the essential swing district #45, Manka Dhingra. Read about her below, or visit her website now to contribute to help get her elected. Let's flip the State Senate!

On April 11, a GOP operative, Jinyoung Lee Englund, announced she was also running. Jinyoung, who moved to the district for the campaign, has no public service experience, having worked instead as a lobbyist and staffer for the extreme right-wing Republican Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the Vice Chair of Trump's transition team. While on Rodger's staff, Englund worked against affordable health care and fiercely opposed women's rights. It is surprising that someone so right-wing would emerge as the GOP choice to represent the independent-minded District 45.

1. Donate! Early donations to Manka (now!) will allow her to build a successful campaign. Republican funders like the Koch brothers will also be very interested in this critical race. Donate today to help launch her campaign at www.electmanka.com
2. Volunteer! Manka’s campaign needs people to sign up to help. You can also get started canvassing this Saturday, April 22,  with the 45th Democrats. In future newsletters, we'll keep you up to date on how the group Sister District will also be organizing to help elect Manka.
3. Spread the word! Write a note to 10 friends about Manka, the candidate who will flip the State Senate, and about Friends of Washington, the source for ongoing monthly updates on how we can all help turn Washington blue. The more people we can connect with, the better! Also think of people who live in the 45th. Help build buzz to Get Out the Vote. That's how Democrats will win in a special election such as this.
4. Show up! Rally for Manka at her Campaign Launch! Sunday, April 23rd from 2-4 pm, at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse 16600 NE 80th St, Redmond 98052. Families are welcome: bring your kids!

And stay tuned. Future issues of the Friends of Washington newsletter will include updates on the other special 2017 election in the 31st District (no candidates declared yet, will be soon!), profiles of other groups doing important election work, and more.

And the action is only going to get more exciting a year from now, in 2018, when there will be several more critical state-wide races to cover. We’ll expand our coverage to keep you abreast of the State Senate and State House races that will help us solve our schools crisis, create better opportunities to support clean energy, and much more.

Can you think of others who might enjoy reading about how to help Democrats win in Washington State?

If so, forward this newsletter and invite them to join Friends of Washington. Spread the word by directing friends to www.friendsofwashington.org and explain why November 2017 is so important. With off-off cycle elections like this, friend-to-friend word of mouth will be the key to victory.

Do you have friends who live in a swing district? Our website lists the critical towns for this year’s special elections. These friends need a personal invite from you. Their votes, and their neighbors' votes, will make the difference.

We need all hands on deck to raise awareness, to raise money for Democratic candidates, and to sign up to volunteer. Let’s make some noise!