We’re taking a closer look at the November 4th General Election in Washington, as a more progressive wave moved through portions of the state.
Progressives won outright in the races for Seattle City Council and Seattle City Attorney, while most notably, progressive challenger Katie Wilson defeated incumbent Bruce Harrell to become Seattle’s next Mayor.
Political Strategist and podcaster Crystal Fincher says the coalitions those two mayoral candidates put together likely contributed to the tight race.
“Bruce (Harrell) had the support of labor. Bruce had endorsements from people, like Teresa Mosqueda and Pramila Jayapal, who were known for being solid progressives, and there was a lot of spending in that mayoral race. Both from the campaigns directly, but especially from PACs aligned with the candidates,” Fincher said.
“We saw a very well-funded PAC in support of Bruce Harrell attacking Katie Wilson quite a bit to a degree that we didn’t see with the other city-wide candidates, and so I think that also explains why there was such a difference in the margins in those races.”
The second largest city in the state, Tacoma, had a big change in leadership, electing its first new mayor since 2018.
With more than 56% of the vote, Anders Ibsen, who had spent years as an elected official, but more recently worked as a realtor, won over longtime Tacoma City Councilmember John Hines.
“I think what we saw in this election, and in some prior ones in Tacoma, is that voters want a big and bold vision. Affordability concerns are really prevalent in Tacoma. They wanted a leader who was saying, ‘Yeah, I want to add more housing units. I want to get more people housed. I want to bring down the cost of living.’ And I think he also signaled that he was going to be a more inclusive mayor. Tacoma is a very diverse place,” Fincher said.
“I think more people were able to see themselves in his vision that he articulated for the City and felt comfortable that he was going to stand up and fight, given some of the challenges that mayors are seeing from the federal administration.”
Across the state, Democrats also won all 9 of the open seats in the state legislature.
As Republicans came up short in many state races, Fincher says it was a clear rejection from voters, and to win in the midterms, they must adjust.
“We’re seeing that in areas that had traditionally been really purple, swing districts. Things like being anti-choice, the attacks that we saw on immigrants and trans people in the community, not governing for all of the constituents in your jurisdiction, is something that voters are just no longer in the mood to hear or see. I think they really have some soul searching to do,” she said.
The election results will be certified on November 25. The Secretary of State’s Office will make those results official on December 4.
