Progressive activist Katie Wilson has taken an early lead over incumbent Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell in the initial results of Tuesday’s primary election. Although many ballots are still pending, Wilson’s early advantage suggests Harrell may face a challenging fight to retain his position in the upcoming November election.
Following the first round of vote tallies, Wilson, who serves as the general secretary of the Transit Riders Union, has garnered approximately 46.2% of the primary votes, compared to Harrell’s 44.9%. Both candidates are poised to advance to the general election in November, outpacing several other hopefuls.
Additional ballots from the vote-by-mail process will be counted in the coming days, potentially altering the current standings. In other Seattle races, incumbents are also trailing in early returns. City Council President Sara Nelson received 39.1% of the vote, falling behind challenger Dionne Foster, the former executive director of the Washington Progress Alliance, who leads with 53.7%. Meanwhile,
Incumbent Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison is at 37.2%, while her opponent Erika Evans has 51.1%. The only incumbent maintaining a strong position on election night was City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck, who secured 75.2% of the early vote as she seeks to keep her citywide seat.
In the race for the open District 2 council seat, assistant city attorney Eddie Lin is leading with 45.7% of the vote, followed by transportation policy adviser Adonis Ducksworth at 30.6%. Additionally, a ballot measure to renew Seattle’s Democracy Voucher Program is ahead with 55.6% of the early vote. The top two candidates in each race will move on to the November ballot.
