By Staff
Northwest Asian Weekly
On March 12, Bobby Virk and Bob Hasegawa announced they are endorsing one another’s run for office. Hasegawa will vie for a state senate seat. Virk will vie for Hasegawa’s vacated seat in the state’s House.
Previously, both candidates were aiming for the seat being vacated by Washington State Sen. Margarita Prentice, who is retiring. Both candidates are Democrats and each have a strong following of Asian American supporters. This resulted in worries that having two like-minded candidates would split the Asian community’s vote.
“I am honored with Rep. Hasegawa’s endorsement today for my bid for the State House of Representatives,” Virk said. “Rep. Hasegawa has a long record of fighting for working families and I look forward to being a strong advocate for an economy that works for everyone.”
Hasegawa agreed. “It’s important we unify our community and promote diversity within the legislature to most effectively vouch for the best interest of the people in the 11th district. I appreciate Bobby’s endorsement of my bid for state senate and I am proud to wholeheartedly support his campaign as well.”
Hasegawa is a Japanese American. For 32 years, he was a member of the Teamsters Union, where he rose through the ranks to become the elected leader of the largest Teamsters trucking local workers union in the Pacific Northwest (Teamsters Local 174) for three terms (9 years). He was also a leader in the national Teamsters pro-union democracy reform movement, TDU (Teamsters for a Democratic Union). He earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington.
Virk was born in India and immigrated to the United States to attend the University of Pennsylvania.
He went on to complete an orthodontic residency at Boston University. Today, he owns a orthodontic and dental group practice with offices in Newcastle and Puyallup. (end)