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Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is facing a formidable challenge in his bid for a second term from community organizer Katie Wilson, who surprised many by finishing ahead of him in the August nonpartisan primary.
Should Harrell secure reelection, he would be the first Seattle mayor to win a second term since Greg Nickels did so in 2005.
Katie Wilson, known for her role as co-founder and general secretary of the Seattle Transit Riders Union, has a background in advocacy. She has been at the forefront of campaigns to enhance public transportation, raise the minimum wage, and strengthen tenant protections in the Seattle area.
Key topics such as affordable housing, public safety, the homelessness crisis, and support for the business community have been central in the mayoral debates. In February 2025, Seattle voters approved Proposition 1A, a new business tax aimed at funding social housing, despite Mayor Harrell’s endorsement of a competing measure, Proposition 1B.
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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.”
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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:
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