Business-backed groups spend big on Seattle council races

Outside groups have poured about $1.4 million so far into Tuesday's Seattle City Council elections, with more than $1 million coming from committees backed by business and real estate interests.

Why it matters: Groups looking to influence elections can pack a greater punch through independent expenditure committees, which — unlike candidates' campaigns — can raise and spend unlimited amounts of cash.

Zoom in: In Seattle council races, the candidates who are considered the most centrist and business-friendly have benefited the most from outside dollars.

• Maritza Rivera, the former deputy director of Seattle's Office of Arts and Culture, is so far the biggest beneficiary of third-party spending. Outside groups have spent a combined $284,000 to support her campaign and oppose her rival, Ron Davis, in District 4.

Meanwhile, independent groups have spent about $230,000 to try to elect Rob Saka, a former tech lawyer, over Maren Costa in District 1. Costa had urged her former employer, Amazon, to improve labor conditions and do more to fight climate change.

• Costa has been the target of more third-party spending opposing her campaign than any other Seattle council candidate this year.

Between the lines: The groups doing most of the spending to try to elect Rivera and Saka are PACs called the University Neighbors Committee and the Elliott Bay Neighbors Committee, respectively.

• Some of their biggest donors are political committees tied to the local Master Builders Association; the state association for commercial real estate developers; the Seattle hotel and restaurant industry; and landlords.

Plus: A political action committee with some of the same backers has spent more than $93,000 to try to unseat District 2 Councilmember Tammy Morales, one of the council's most left-leaning members.

• Morales' challenger, Tanya Woo, has benefited from another $61,000 in third-party support from the National Association of Realtors Fund.

PACs tied to landlords, builders and the real estate industry are also helping boost Navy veteran Bob Kettle's bid to unseat sitting Councilmember Andrew Lewis in District 7.

• Similar industry interests are helping bankroll a committee that has spent more than $100,000 opposing ChrisTiana ObeySumner, the leftmost candidate in District 5.

Of note: Candidates are not allowed to coordinate with independent expenditure committees, which operate separately from candidates' campaigns.

What we're watching: Whether voters respond to the influx of spending — or if it backfires.

• In 2019, when Amazon poured more than $1 million into a PAC focused on electing Seattle council candidates seen as pro-business, only two of those seven candidates ended up winning.

Go deeper: Check out our 2023 Seattle voter guide