Giffords Congratulates Manka Dhingra on Washington State Senate Victory

November 8, 2017 –  Giffords , the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and retired NASA astronaut Captain Mark Kelly, issued the following statement congratulating Manka Dhingra on her election to the Washington state District 45 Senate seat:

Gabby Giffords, Co-Founder, Giffords:

“Tonight, voters in Washington state made clear they want Olympia to continue to make progress fighting gun violence. Manka will join a legislature that is ready to pass solutions that will respect the rights of law-abiding gun owners while keeping weapons out of reach from violent felons, domestic abusers, and other dangerous individuals. Washington state has stated they have had enough of the corporate gun lobby’s attempts to weaken or do away with sensible solutions to our gun violence epidemic. We are proud to stand with Manka and celebrate the courage she has shown in never wavering from our mission to make our communities safer.”

Last month, Giffords endorsed Manka Dhingra for Washington State Senate District 45. The outcome of this election is critical in winning a gun violence prevention majority in Washington state and making legislative progress on gun safety. Giffords PAC partnered with the Alliance for Gun Responsibility on a digital, field and  direct mail  campaign to highlight Manka Dhingra’s superior record on gun safety compared to her opponent, Jinyoung Lee Englund. The program targeted over 15,000 households.