Bellevue voters will see incumbent Leesa Manion on the Nov. 3 ballot for King County Prosecuting Attorney. The countywide office handles felony prosecutions, civil legal work and juvenile justice across King County, including Bellevue.
Manion has held the office since 2023 and is running in a nonpartisan race. According to King County's prosecuting attorney page, she is the first woman, the first person of color and the first Asian American elected to the position. She is also the first Korean American woman in the United States elected as a prosecuting attorney, according to the same county page.
Candidate information
Office sought: King County Prosecuting Attorney
Party: Nonpartisan
Ballot status: Certified for the ballot
Background: Manion was born in an army hospital near Seoul, South Korea, to a Korean mother and a Caucasian father, and grew up in Kentucky, according to her campaign website.
Education: Bachelor's degree from Northern Kentucky University, according to her King County Elections candidate filing; law degree from Seattle University (1996)
Experience and public service
Manion's career in the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office spans three decades. 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, then as deputy chief of staff from 2000 to 2007 and chief of staff beginning in 2007, according to BallotReady profile data. She took office as prosecuting attorney in 2023.
Beyond the prosecutor's office, Manion 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 King County's website. She is a co-founding partner of Choose 180, a pre-filing juvenile diversion program. She has served on the board of the Alliance for Gun Responsibility since 2015, according to her campaign website.
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 King County's website. On her campaign website, Manion describes herself as "a hands-on and committed leader who is fighting for our families, communities, and the vulnerable."
Juvenile justice: Manion says she co-founded Choose 180, a pre-filing diversion program that King County's website says helped reduce juvenile crime to record lows. She says she is committed to ensuring juveniles are not prosecuted as adults except in cases involving exceptional violence and extreme harm.
Gun violence prevention: Manion says gun violence is preventable and has advocated for universal background checks, extreme risk protection orders and domestic violence firearm restrictions through her work with the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, according to her campaign website.
Federal overreach and immigration: Manion states on her campaign website that King County is an active plaintiff in litigation to stop what she describes as the Trump administration's anti-immigrant, anti-DEI, anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ+ federal directives. She says her perspective is shaped by being the daughter of an immigrant.
Endorsements
Manion has received endorsements from King County Democrats, UFCW Local 21, the National Women's Political Caucus of Washington and the Alliance for Gun Responsibility Victory Fund, according to BallotReady data.
The general election is Nov. 3, 2026.
