Wilson now leads Harrell in still-uncalled Seattle mayor race
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Katie Wilson and Bruce Harrell. Photos courtesy of the campaigns.
Progressive organizer Katie Wilson took the lead Monday in the race for Seattle mayor, coming in 91 votes ahead of incumbent Bruce Harrell in the latest count — a difference of less than 0.05 percentage points.
The big picture: If the results hold, Wilson — who has never held elected office — will unseat the more centrist Harrell, making Harrell the latest in a string of one-term Seattle mayors. But it remains too close to call.
By the numbers: On Monday, Wilson was capturing 49.83% of the vote to Harrell's 49.79%.
- That's a shift from election night, when Wilson trailed Harrell by about 7 percentage points.
Context: In Seattle's vote-by-mail elections, left-leaning candidates in city races often gain ground as late ballots are counted — a dynamic that's working in Wilson's favor.
State of play: 267,875 ballots had been counted in the race as of Monday, making Wilson's 91-vote margin razor thin.
- King County Elections estimated there are still about 6,400 Seattle ballots that have yet to be counted from last week's election, along with roughly 1,700 Seattle ballots with signature issues that can potentially be resolved.
Catch up quick: Wilson, the co-founder and general secretary of the Transit Riders Union, focused her campaign on the need to make the city more affordable.
- Among other things, she criticized Harrell as failing to adequately address problems such as homelessness and Seattle's high cost of living.
- Harrell, a lawyer who previously served three terms on the Seattle City Council, argued Wilson lacks the experience needed to be mayor.
- He highlighted his efforts to improve public safety and hire more police, pointing to a recent decline in crime rates.
Follow the money: Outside spending was a factor in the race, with a pro-Harrell political action committee raising more than $1.8 million to bolster the mayor's campaign.
- That third-party PAC, whose top donors include real estate and business interests, spent more than $1.3 million against Wilson in recent weeks, much of it on negative mailers and TV ads.
- A PAC supporting Wilson — backed partly by unions representing grocery workers and city employees — spent more than $500,000.
That's on top of spending by the candidates' campaigns, which has totaled $2 million or more.
What's next: More results are slated for release around 4pm Tuesday.
Go deeper: Why Seattle's elections often swing left as counting continues