Leesa Manion, King County's prosecuting attorney since 2023, is seeking reelection in the Nov. 3, 2026 Washington general election.
The nonpartisan race covers all of King County, including Queen Anne, Magnolia and Ballard.
Manion is the first woman, the first person of color and the first Asian American elected to serve as King County prosecuting attorney, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. She is also the first Korean American woman in the United States elected to the office.
Candidate information
Party: Nonpartisan
Birthplace: Born in an army hospital near Seoul, South Korea, to a Korean mother and a white father, according to her campaign website. She grew up in Kentucky.
Education: Bachelor's degree from Northern Kentucky University. Juris doctor from Seattle University in 1996.
Endorsements (as claimed by endorsing organizations): UFCW Local 21, National Women's Political Caucus of Washington, King County Democrats and Alliance for Gun Responsibility Victory Fund.
Experience and public service
Manion has spent nearly her entire legal career in the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. She started as a Rule 9 legal intern in 1995, according to her campaign website.
She served as a deputy prosecuting attorney from 1996 to 2000. She then held the deputy chief of staff role from 2000 to 2007 and chief of staff from 2007 until she took office as prosecuting attorney in 2023.
She serves on the boards of the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys and the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. She has served on the board of the Alliance for Gun Responsibility since 2015, according to her campaign website.
She is a co-founding partner of Choose 180, a juvenile pre-filing diversion program.
On the issues
Criminal justice and public safety: Among her first actions as prosecuting attorney, Manion created a Gender-Based Violence and Prevention Division and an Economic Crimes and Wage Theft Division, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. On her campaign website, Manion describes herself as focused on protecting families, communities and vulnerable populations.
Juvenile justice: Manion says Choose 180, the diversion program she co-founded, helped reduce overall juvenile crime to all-time lows, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. She says she is committed to ensuring juveniles are not prosecuted as adults except in cases of exceptional violence and extreme harm.
Gun violence prevention: Manion says gun violence is preventable. She says she has fought for universal background checks, extreme risk protection orders and domestic violence firearm restrictions, according to her campaign website.
Federal overreach and immigration: Manion says on her campaign website that King County is an active plaintiff in litigation against the Trump administration. She describes the federal directives at issue as anti-immigrant, anti-DEI, anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ+. She says her perspective is shaped by being the daughter of an immigrant.
Election day is Nov. 3, 2026. This is a candidate profile, not an endorsement.
