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Fox News
06-08-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Mamdani-style activist, liberal incumbent advance to Seattle mayoral runoff
Longtime progressive activist Katie Wilson will face off against incumbent Mayor Bruce Harrell in November's general election after securing the top two places in Tuesday's nonpartisan mayoral primary. Wilson secured around 46% of the vote to Harrell's 45%, according to reporting from FOX 13. Widely known for her role in helping establish and continuing to lead the left-wing Transit Riders Union, Wilson champions progressive positions such as minimum wage increases, better access to public transit and affordable housing. She has also pledged to "Trump-proof" the City of Seattle, and has been likened to New York City's Zohran Mamdani by political pundits. Harrell, who served on the Seattle City Council for more than a decade before being elected mayor in 2021, is considered the establishment candidate in the race. Both candidates raked in far greater campaign war chests than the other seven candidates who ran in Tuesday's primary, according to Seattle Ethics and Elections records. Harrell, who received nearly 100 endorsements from current elected officials, narrowly beat out Wilson when it came to fundraising ahead of the primary, bringing in a little over $500,000, according to filings. Wilson, meanwhile, brought in about $475,000 in campaign contributions. Moving on to the general election, Wilson is hoping to prevent Harrell from becoming Seattle's first mayor to win re-election in two decades. Meanwhile, Wilson has criticized Harrell for being more focused on dismantling homeless encampments than boosting the availability of shelters, and accused him of being part of the political status quo. "We need leadership that is going to listen to voters and govern in the interest of people in the city and not corporate backers," Wilson said, referring to Harrell, in a March interview with PBS. During the interview, Wilson cited Harrell's work on affordable housing, arguing he was "the face of the campaign to undermine" a proposition that would have boosted affordable housing development. But Harell has defended his record as mayor, touting to local news outlet My Northwest that his administration has "put over a billion dollars in affordable housing." "My re-election is supported by 100+ current and former elected officials, labor, as well as affordable housing, environmental, community, and transportation leaders," Harrell wrote on social media last week. "I'm proud of the broad and diverse coalition we've built to keep Seattle moving forward." The upcoming general election that will see Wilson and Harrell face off head-to-head is slated for Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Fox News
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
The Mamdani effect: Will far-left challenger top Dem incumbent mayor in Seattle's primary?
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, a Democrat, was cruising towards re-election earlier this year in the heavily blue city in the Pacific Northwest, hoping to become Seattle's first mayor to win re-election in two decades. However, Harrell's path to securing a second term became much steeper after longtime progressive organizer Katie Wilson jumped into the race in March. Wilson, who political pundits have compared to New York City's Zohran Mamdani, soon became the frontrunner among the mayor's many challengers. Tuesday's primary will whittle the current nine-candidate field down to two for November's general election. "My re-election is supported by 100+ current and former elected officials, labor, as well as affordable housing, environmental, community, and transportation leaders," Harrell wrote on social media last week. "I'm proud of the broad and diverse coalition we've built to keep Seattle moving forward." Harrell was elected in 2021, as Seattle was starting to recover from the COVID pandemic and the violent protests and riots that rocked the city following the murder of George Floyd. He has worked during his tenure as mayor to improve public safety, tackle homelessness and help struggling businesses recover. The mayor has highlighted the decrease in citywide crime since he took office. However, Wilson, a transit activist and co-founder of the Transit Riders Union, has criticized Harrell, arguing that he's focused more on dismantling homeless encampments than boosting shelters. Wilson claims that Harrell, who served three terms on the city council before winning election as mayor, is part of the political status quo that has allowed the city's cost of living to skyrocket. Similar to democratic socialist Mamdani, who rocked the nation's political world by topping former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates in late June to win New York City's Democratic Party mayoral primary, Wilson is spotlighting affordability. "Housing costs have doubled since Bruce Harrell first took office," she highlights in a social media post. However, unlike Mamdani, Wilson does not identify as a democratic socialist. Wilson has stayed competitive with the incumbent mayor in the battle for campaign cash. The most recent polling in the race indicated a close contest between Harrell and Wilson, with former T-Mobile executive and 2009 mayoral candidate Joe Mallahan a very distant third. Ry Armstrong, an actor and environmental nonprofit executive director who is running a progressive campaign, and five other candidates on the ballot, barely registered in recent polling.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who is Katie Wilson? A look at Seattle's mayoral candidate
The Brief The next King County primary election is happening on August 5. Katie Wilson is one of the top fundraising candidates in the mayoral race, joining several others in an effort to topple the incumbent. We look at what she stands for and why she wants to be the next mayor. SEATTLE - The race for Seattle mayor is on. Candidates are in high gear this summer ahead of the upcoming Aug. 5 primary election. This year, nine candidates are running for mayor, including Katie Wilson, the only woman in the race. Keep reading to learn who Katie Wilson is, her campaign history and her platform proposals. Who is Katie Wilson? Wilson is perhaps most well known locally for cofounding and acting as executive director of the Transit Riders Union, a "democratic membership organization that has become a powerful voice for working people across Seattle and King County." Her campaign has touted Wilson's role in designing the ORCA LIFT program. Dig deeper The mayoral candidate arrived in Seattle in 2004, following her physics and philosophy studies at Oxford University and upbringing in New York state. Prior to founding the TRU, Wilson was a policy and politics writer for what is now known as Cascade PBS, PubliCola, The Stranger and The Urbanist. Katie Wilson announces candidacy for Seattle mayor Timeline In March 2025, Wilson made headlines as she threw her hat in the ring for the city's top elected spot. The special election in February over funding for the Seattle Social Housing developer was a convincing factor for Wilson to enter the race, according to a report from Cascade PBS on March 12. Wilson held her official campaign launch at the Cal Anderson Park Shelter House on Mar. 29. What platform is Katie Wilson running on? Wilson's website lists the following issues as top priorities, in part, should she be elected: Addressing homelessness in the city 4,000 new units of emergency housing and shelter in four years. Make contracting and leasing more efficient for centers addressing the fentanyl/opioid crisis. Affordable housing and housing supply issues Build social housing, aim for $1 billion bond for affordable housing. Reform landlord practices, limit home buying by private equity firms. "Trump-proof" Seattle Combat federal policies targeting immigrants and refugees. Use progressive revenue to fund services cut by the federal government. Transportation and mobility Increase street safety for walkers, bikers, and rollers. Increase public transit safety, comfortability, and affordability. Public safety Scale up programs targeting drug and disorder hotspots. Expansion of alternative response services for crises, "so police can focus on policing." Working families Expanding Seattle's Paid Sick and Face Time Law Diversify and strengthen public school programs for families with student-age children Climate action and environmental justice Updating land use code to increase housing and the number of trees in the city. Creating green union jobs, installing city-owned solar panels and building out bus lines. Economic development Incentivize filling vacant commercial space with vacancy taxes or fines. Use FIFA World Cup 2026 to make permanent infrastructure and policy upgrades to the downtown Seattle core. Progressive revenue Reduce job-shifting practices by companies out of Seattle Exempting first $250,000 assessed value from property taxes, while implementing a statewide tax on intangible property. Katie Wilson endorsements in Seattle mayoral race Endorsements for Wilson range from city council members from surrounding cities to housing advocates, LGBTQ+ commissioners and labor and union leaders. In addition to individuals, some of the organizations include Humane Voters of Washington, Transit Riders Union, UAW 4121, WFSE Local 1495, Seattle Subway, Seattle Bike Blog and various other political and non-profit organizations. What's next Following the Aug. 5 primary, the top two performing candidates will face off in the Nov. 4 election. The Source Information in this story came from the Katie Wilson website. MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE Police dashcam video shows triple-murder suspect Travis Decker days before crime Judge lifts gag order in Idaho murders case against Bryan Kohberger 1 killed in Pierce County, WA adult family home fire Idaho hiker mistaken for Travis Decker tells all Victim airlifted from Tumwater, WA crash, 18-year-old faces vehicular assault To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Seattle mayoral candidate vows to 'Trump-proof' the city if elected
Seattle mayoral candidate Katie Wilson outlined her plan on Tuesday to "Trump-proof" the city ahead of the upcoming primary. Local news affiliate King 5 News spoke with the Democratic candidate, who has used the term "Trump-proof" as a political slogan and asked what that would entail. "There are a number of aspects to this, and part of it is trying to protect our immigrant communities and making sure that we are protecting the right to due process and also the right to protest," Wilson said. Gop Fights Back Against 'Trump-proof' Sanctuary Jurisdictions She added that her primary focus would be on the impact of President Donald Trump's potential federal spending cuts, which she claims could "leave people hungry, without housing, without medical care" in Seattle. "As mayor, I will raise new progressive revenue to make sure that we can continue to deliver the services that Seattle residents depend on," Wilson said. "In addition to making sure that we are using the revenue we have as effectively and as efficiently as possible, and we're going to need to make some really hard choices and make sure that we are using our budget to the fullest in the years ahead, because it's going to be hard." Read On The Fox News App Wilson has used the term "Trump-proof" before in a 2017 campaign to advocate for a city income tax on households earning more than $250,000 a year. At the time, she worked as Transit Riders Union general secretary. She referenced this early campaign on her current campaign website. Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture "Here we are eight years later, again having to think about how to protect ourselves and our neighbors from the actions of an even more virulent federal administration," the site read. Wilson is running in the Democratic primary against current Mayor Bruce Harrell, who's held the position since 2022. If elected, Harrell would be the first Seattle mayor to win a second term in 20 years. There are five other candidates in the primary. The Democratic primary for Seattle mayor will be held Aug. 5 with the general election taking place on Nov. article source: Seattle mayoral candidate vows to 'Trump-proof' the city if elected
Fox News
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Seattle mayoral candidate vows to 'Trump-proof' the city if elected
Seattle mayoral candidate Katie Wilson outlined her plan on Tuesday to "Trump-proof" the city ahead of the upcoming primary. Local news affiliate King 5 News spoke with the Democratic candidate, who has used the term "Trump-proof" as a political slogan and asked what that would entail. "There are a number of aspects to this, and part of it is trying to protect our immigrant communities and making sure that we are protecting the right to due process and also the right to protest," Wilson said. She added that her primary focus would be on the impact of President Donald Trump's potential federal spending cuts, which she claims could "leave people hungry, without housing, without medical care" in Seattle. "As mayor, I will raise new progressive revenue to make sure that we can continue to deliver the services that Seattle residents depend on," Wilson said. "In addition to making sure that we are using the revenue we have as effectively and as efficiently as possible, and we're going to need to make some really hard choices and make sure that we are using our budget to the fullest in the years ahead, because it's going to be hard." Wilson has used the term "Trump-proof" before in a 2017 campaign to advocate for a city income tax on households earning more than $250,000 a year. At the time, she worked as Transit Riders Union general secretary. She referenced this early campaign on her current campaign website. "Here we are eight years later, again having to think about how to protect ourselves and our neighbors from the actions of an even more virulent federal administration," the site read. Wilson is running in the Democratic primary against current Mayor Bruce Harrell, who's held the position since 2022. If elected, Harrell would be the first Seattle mayor to win a second term in 20 years. There are five other candidates in the primary. The Democratic primary for Seattle mayor will be held Aug. 5 with the general election taking place on Nov. 4.
