Friends:

With just over six weeks left until Washington’s special election, the Alliance is doing everything we can to campaign for the candidates who support commonsense laws that balance gun rights with responsibility.

We believe change happens at every level, which is why we’re supporting men and women up and down the ballot who view gun violence as a preventable public health and safety issue. Here’s a selection of the future leaders we’ve endorsed this year:

Manka Dhingra
A domestic violence prevention advocate and an expert in mental health policy, Manka Dhingra is in perhaps the most competitive and critical race of the cycle. She’s running for state Senate in the 45th district – and a win there would flip the Washington state Senate, helping move commonsense gun safety policy initiatives up the legislative agenda in Olympia.

Manka is as qualified as they come: She is one of the strongest gun responsibility champions in Washington and possesses a deep understanding of the intersection of gun violence, domestic violence and hate. She also has numerous policy ideas for institutional change to more effectively reduce gun violence at every level. Learn more about Manka Dhingra >>

Michelle Rylands
We were also proud to endorse Michelle Rylands for state Senate in the 31st district. Michelle has served as a military police officer in the Army and currently works as a 911 dispatcher. She’s taken calls from those in crisis situations where firearms are involved and has seen firsthand the deadly consequences. She represents the values of her district by continually advocating for gun responsibility policy. Read more about Michelle Rylands >>

Jenny Durkan
We believe Jenny Durkan will be an exceptional mayor of Seattle. A former regional U.S. attorney, Jenny has a proven track record of working to prevent gun violence, prosecuting a number of critical gun cases and helping execute sting operations on traffickers. Under her leadership, gun prosecutions spiked by 45 percent. We have no doubt that when Jenny becomes mayor, Seattle will continue to lead the nation on gun violence prevention. Learn more about Jenny Durkan >>

Victoria Woodards
Victoria Woodards, candidate for Tacoma mayor, created incredible change in her time as a Tacoma city council member. An expert in studying gang violence, at-risk youth and access to firearms, Victoria helped create the Tacoma Gang Reduction Program in 2011. Then, just three years later, she launched Tacoma’s Gun Safe T Education Campaign, educating the city’s youth and community on the use, storage and surrender of firearms. Read more about Victoria Woodards >>

Cassie Franklin
Cassie Franklin, candidate for Everett mayor, has worked tirelessly to reduce gun violence at the city level. Cassie approaches gun violence as a public health issue, and she uses her expertise in the fields of homelessness and human services to better address and tackle this epidemic. Currently, she’s serving as both the CEO of Cocoon House – a nonprofit that supports at-risk youth and their families – and as an Everett city council member. Learn more about Cassie Franklin >>

Electing gun responsibility champions is mission critical to curbing Washington’s gun violence crisis – and each of these endorsed candidates would take us another step forward in the fight to end the epidemic. Please remember to vote on November 7. We cannot afford to let this opportunity pass us by.

The Alliance