45th District Senate Race: Republican Candidate Has Rossi's Support

WOODINVILLE, WA - A new challenger has entered the race to fill the seat left open after the death of former Republican state senator Andy Hill. Jinyoung Englund will run as a Republican, and has the support of state Sen. Dino Rossi, who was selected to hold Hill's seat until the election. The special election to fill the seat will take place in November.

Englund is at least the fourth declared candidate so far. In early April, the 45th Legislative District Democrats nominated King County deputy prosecutor Manka Dhingra to run for the seat, and another Democrat, Ian Stratton has declared. In late March, former Northshore School Board member Ken Smith resigned from that board so he could run for Hill's seat; Smith is running as a Republican.

Rossi has said that he won't run for Hill's seat, and appears to have thrown his support behind Englund.

"I have known Jinyoung for many years. She is an independent thinker as well as an exceptional and pragmatic leader. She is also the only candidate who has pledged to protect Washingtonians from the new state income tax that is repeatedly proposed by the opposite party,” said Senator Dino Rossi.

Englund is running on issues such as reducing traffic and - a recent popular topic - reducing car tab fees. Englund is a University of Washington graduate who lives in Woodinville and who has done work in the Bitcoin industry and for the U.S. Marines.

Hill, 54, died in October of lung cancer. The 45th includes parts of Redmond, Kirkland, Woodinville, and Sammamish.

Image via Jinyoung Englund