A first-time candidate and self-proclaimed socialist was declared the winner of last week’s Seattle mayoral race, bringing an end to the closest election in the city’s history.
Katie Wilson, a 43-year-old transportation advocate, unseated incumbent Democrat Bruce Harrell with 50.2% of the vote compared to Harrell’s 49.5%. The race was the tightest in municipal election history, according to city archives.
“This campaign was driven by a deep belief that we need to expand the table to include everyone in the decisions that impact their lives,” Wilson said in a statement to The Seattle Times. “That is what we will be working to do every day as we set up this new administration.”
Wilson ran her first campaign on a platform of affordability, with a particular focus on housing, food access and cost-of-living issues. The campaign closely mirrored that of Zohran Mamdani in New York City, who also made affordability a centerpiece of his campaign.
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Seattle relies entirely on mail-in ballots, which are mailed out 20 days before Election Day and are sorted through at 8 p.m. the day of the election. Over the weekend, election officials, along with volunteers from both campaigns, said they addressed hundreds of improperly filled out ballots.
It’s unclear if the vote will undergo a recount. Neither campaign has petitioned for one, but an automatic recount is triggered if the final margin was less than 2,000 votes. City officials called the race Wednesday night with Wilson ahead of Harrell by 1,976 votes.
“We’re thrilled with the latest drop, which continues to trend in our direction,” Wilson’s campaign posted Wednesday night. “Ahead by almost 2,000 votes, we now believe that we’re in an insurmountable position.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who endorsed Harrell, congratulated Wilson on the win Wednesday night.
“Katie’s victory adds to the exciting sweep of progressive candidates here and across the country,” Jayapal told The Seattle Times.
In his statement conceding the race on Thursday, Harrell said he had already spoken with Wilson and had “a delightful conversation.”
“I let her know that our team is standing by to begin the transition work without hesitation, and that I look forward to welcoming her to City Hall in the near future,” he said. “I feel very good about the future of this country and this city still. That is the attitude we have to have.”
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