(NewsNation) — Incumbent Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, who is seeking a second term, faces a challenge from community organizer Katie Wilson, who placed first against Harrell in an upset during the August nonpartisan primary.
If reelected, Harrell would become the first Seattle mayor elected to a second term since Greg Nickels in 2005.
Wilson, the co-founder and general secretary of the Seattle Transit Riders Union and a former columnist for Cascade PBS, had led activist campaigns for expanded public transportation access, minimum wage increases and tenant protections across the Seattle area.
Affordable housing, public safety, addressing the homelessness crisis and supporting the business community were among the major issues discussed during debates. In a February 2025 special election, Seattle voters passed Proposition 1A, which created a new business tax to fund social housing, over Proposition 1B, an alternative proposal endorsed by Harrell.
Campaign finance records show both candidates maxed out Seattle’s democracy voucher spending caps, but outside spending has created a significant imbalance. Both candidates’ campaigns had raised roughly $450,000 as of late July, though each candidate has also raised about $1 million, largely through Seattle’s democracy voucher program.
A PAC supporting Harrell had raised over $1 million as of late September, while a left-leaning PAC supporting Wilson had raised about $86,000. The advantage in outside money gives the campaign behind Harrell an extra $1.2 million to spend.
Wilson’s vision for Seattle includes several new progressive taxes, arguing that “people in those lowest income brackets are paying far more of their income in state and local taxes than people in the highest income brackets.”
Harrell has focused on police hiring to rebuild the Seattle Police Department’s ranks, introducing hiring bonuses and higher starting salaries, and oversaw the launch of the CARE Department, a 911 alternative-responder program.
Polls close at 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday. See the results of the Seattle mayoral election in the tracker below:
Go To Source | Author: Damita Menezes