Washington state Democrats celebrate lead in key Senate race
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington state Democrats on Wednesday were celebrating their lead in a key state Senate race that could put them back in charge of both legislative chambers for the first time in five years.
Democrat Manka Dhingra, a 43-year-old prosecutor for King County, was leading Republican Jinyoung Lee Englund with 55 percent of the vote Tuesday night In the race for the 45th District in Seattle's eastern suburbs.
The next ballot update was set for late Wednesday.
The political implications in the state and beyond helped the race break legislative spending records in Washington.
More than $8.7 million had been spent on the campaigns as of this week, with about $5.9 million coming from third-party groups.