(The Center Square) – Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s election night lead has dwindled to less than 2%, with challenger Katie Wilson gaining some ground in the last few days, according the latest tally of ballots.
The fourth round of collected votes on Friday show Harrell with a 1.8 percentage point lead over Wilson.
Wilson was originally down by seven points on Tuesday, but cut the deficit down on Friday. This is a common trend in Seattle elections as late-counted ballots typically come from younger voters in more progressive neighborhoods like Capitol Hill.
“If the drop on Monday follows the same trajectory, we will be squarely ahead,” Wilson said in a campaign social media post.
Harrell won his first term as Seattle mayor in 2021 with 58% of the vote.
If Harrell’s ends up prevailing, it would signal the majority of Seattle voters favor his political experience, which his campaign focused on during the race. Harrell previously emphasized the importance of experience, particularly in light of federal pressures from President Donald Trump targeting progressive cities like Seattle.
He characterized Wilson – who helped found the Seattle Transit Riders Union, an organization that campaigns and lobbies for progressive causes – as lacking the experience needed to be the mayor of a major U.S. city.
Wilson’s platform includes progressive tax revenues like a local capital gains tax, a vacancy tax on unoccupied commercial and residential properties, professional services excise tax, and digital advertisement tax. Wilson would also consider adjusting the rate of the city’s JumpStart Payroll Tax to raise new revenue.
The Center Square will provide an update on the Seattle mayoral race on Nov. 10.
