(The Center Square) – Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell leads challenger Katie Wilson by 7% of votes on election night, coming back from being bested in the August primary.
Initial results from the general election show Harrell leading with 53.3% of votes compared to 46.2% for Wilson. The race is too close to call after the initial round of counted ballots.
“We’ll be on the edge of our seats the next few days… We’re in this! Promising numbers!” Wilson said in a social media post.
Harrell’s campaign focused on his political experience, as he first served as a Seattle elected official in 2007. During a previous interview with The Center Square, Harrell emphasized the importance of experience particularly in light of federal pressures from President Donald Trump targeting progressive cities like Seattle. He characterized Wilson as lacking the experience needed to be the mayor of a major U.S. city.
The incumbent was joined by former Vice President Kamala Harris on election day. He received endorsements from Gov. Bob Ferguson, Attorney General Nick Brown and former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, among others.
In Harrell’s first year as mayor, crime rates reached record highs in 2022, with 50,398 individual violent and property crimes recorded. However, crime rates are on track to fall below pre-COVID-19 pandemic lows this year, despite population growth.
Police staffing levels were at record lows in January 2024, but have since rebounded with the help of increased pay and the offering of $50,000 incentives for lateral hires. With nearly 150 new hires in 2025, Harrell anticipates SPD to be fully staffed by the middle of his second term, assuming his reelection bid is successful.
Harrell also launched the Community Assisted Response and Engagement, or CARE, Department, which is set to expand in size and ability to respond to 911 calls as part of a tentative agreement with the Seattle Police Officers Guild.
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 turning the dials on the city’s JumpStart Payroll Tax in order to raise new revenue.
The Center Square previously reported on Wilson not shying away from comparisons to Mamdani, and is fine being called a Democrat, a socialist, or both. However, she notes that she is not affiliated with the Seattle chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and is running for a nonpartisan position.
Wilson, who founded the Transit Riders Union, acknowledged that big-tech companies based in Seattle, like Amazon, are drivers of the local economy and also share similar goals in addressing homelessness and the related public safety issues. As for progressive taxes, she previously told The Center Square there is likely some friction between her and Amazon, but that wants to have conversations with the city’s larger companies.
The Center Square will continue coverage of the Seattle mayoral race as votes continue to be collected.
