In a mayoral debate on Thursday night, Seattle Democratic Mayor Bruce Harrell expressed that he holds “no desire” to incarcerate repeat criminal offenders. He acknowledged his uncertainty in addressing whether the city is “too lax” on such offenders.

“Let’s get one thing straight. I was the advocate for ‘Ban the Box’ legislation, despite widespread opposition, because the criminal justice system disproportionately affects Black and Brown communities. That is my starting point,” Mayor Bruce Harrell asserted when prompted about the issue of repeat offenders during the debate.

Harrell’s “Ban the Box” proposal in 2013 prevented employers from asking about an applicant’s criminal history on applications up front. 

Harrell elaborated by saying, “When someone commits six or seven offenses, I am not aware of their individual circumstances. They may have faced childhood abuse or may be struggling with hunger. My approach is to understand their life story to determine supportive interventions. Initially, I have no wish to imprison them, but my priority is to ensure your safety, and that is the balance we’re striving to achieve.

“I put police officers on the stand. I’ve cross-examined them. So, whether they commit seven or eight crimes, to me, is not the issue. The issue is, why are they committing these crimes? And so we have a health-based strategy.”

Repeat offenders have been a part of the national conversation with respect to crimes in recent weeks after several high-profile murders carried out by suspects with lengthy criminal records, including in North Carolina where Ukrainian Iryna Zarutska was stabbed to death on a train by a suspect with a long history of arrests going back more than a decade, including charges of felony larceny, robbery with a dangerous weapon and communicating threats.

Earlier this year in South Carolina, 22-year-old Logan Federico was robbed and executed during a home invasion by a suspect who had 39 charges on his record.

Harrell was asked by a debate moderator if the city is “too lax” on repeat offenders who are “driving” most of the crime in the city. The mayor responded by calling it an “interesting question.”

“I don’t know how to answer that question. ‘Too lax,’ I don’t know how you gauge that.”

Harrell explained that he knows it’s “necessary” to “catch criminals in the act doing bad things” and talked about the need for more police officers” along with “constitutional arrests.”

“I’m not going to give an opinion on the attitude of my officers. I look at them, and I tell them this is my vision. George Floyd was murdered, purely and simply, and I need you to recruit culturally competent officers, and we created the CARE Department, which is an unarmed response, the largest city in the country to do this. So, whether they’re lax or not for me, all due respect, is not the question. It’s are they effective? And they are very effective. I just need to get my numbers up because the defund movement demoralized the police department.”

A spokesperson for the mayor defended the debate remarks, saying Harrell “believes people need to be held accountable for their actions – full stop.”

“Since day one, he’s been very vocal about arresting criminals and the data supporting arrests under his administration is clear. In June, Seattle Police arrested 14 of the most prolific drug dealers – seizing $3 million worth of drugs, enough to kill every person in Seattle twice,” the spokesperson continued.

The spokesperson went on to slam his far-left opponent for “advocating for cutting the police budget by 50% and reducing officer staffing to levels not seen in decades, he has worked to restore police staffing.”

“The mayor also believes in a holistic approach that connects people with the services and treatment needed to effectively reduce recidivism,” the spokesperson concluded. “These two strategies are not at odds – and it’s why in Seattle homicides are down 40%, as well as significant decreases in gun violence, violent crime, and property crime.”

Seattle Red talk show host Jason Rantz, who first posted about Harrell’s debate response, told Fox News Digital that the mayor’s “governing philosophy” was on display. 

“Harrell says he has ‘no desire’ to jail an eight-time criminal. Well, the feeling’s mutual, because criminals in Seattle clearly have no desire to stop offending,” Rantz said. 

“This is what happens when your mayor governs like a progressive therapist instead of a leader. And this wasn’t a gaffe. It’s his governing philosophy to protect repeat offenders and abandon public safety. If you’re a law-abiding Seattleite, Harrell made it clear that we’re on our own.”

Harrell, who received criticism on social media for his comments, is running for re-election in a November election where he faces off against longtime progressive activist Katie Wilson, who has faced criticism from the mayor for past calls to lower police staffing.

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” Seattle and has been likened to New York City’s Zohran Mamdani by political pundits.

When asked about her plan for addressing repeat offenders, Wilson touted the city’s “diversion” program “where if someone is arrested they have the opportunity instead of going through that booking and jail process to be diverted” into case management processes for drug treatment and shelter.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report