Editor’s note: This story originally ran on May 11 after the candidate filing deadline. It has been updated for the Aug. 5 primary.
Four southeast Seattleites are making their case to represent their neighbors as District 2 City Councilmember.
The winner of the special election will finish the remaining two years in former D2 Councilmember Tammy Morales’ four-year term, representing the city from the Chinatown-International District through Rainier Beach. Morales resigned from the Council at the start of 2025, just one year after being reelected.
The Council appointed crime prevention coordinator Mark Solomon, who had run against Morales and lost in 2019, to temporarily fill the seat, but he committed to being a “caretaker” for the office and vowed not to seek election.
Voters will narrow the field to their top two picks in the August 5 primary.
Jeanie Chunn
Jeanie Chunn is the former director of community engagement at Northwest Harvest, a nonprofit that provides food assistance and advocates on food access issues. Chunn also co-founded Seattle Restaurants United to help local restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic and served two terms on Seattle’s Labor Standards Advisory Commission.
Chunn said that her experience with Seattle Restaurants United taught her that “when people organize, they hold a lot of power” and that she’d take that experience to City Hall if elected.
Chunn supports Seattle’s social housing developer and pledges to stop sweeps of homeless encampments. On public safety, she wants to see stronger efforts toward police accountability especially in the face of the Trump administration, which she fears will roll back efforts Seattle has made on police reform.
When it comes to workers’ rights, Chunn wants to use the office to combat wage theft and refuse to contract with businesses that routinely withhold pay from workers.
Chunn has been endorsed by the Washington State Progressive Caucus and Working Families Party. She has raised more than $101,000 in campaign contributions.
Adonis Ducksworth
Adonis Ducksworth is a transportation policy advisor in Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office. Prior to that role, he worked as a capital projects coordinator and deputy chief of staff at the Seattle Department of Transportation. Ducksworth was a finalist for the D2 appointment in January, nominated by Councilmember Dan Strauss. His top priorities are kids and families, housing, public safety and transportation.
To help kids and families, Ducksworth said he will advocate for more access to training and apprenticeship in the trades, partner with gun violence prevention organizations, fight for more state and city funding for child care in southeast Seattle and, as a lifelong skateboarder, work to complete the Rainier Beach Skatepark.
On housing, he wants to focus on implementing the comprehensive plan update and anti-displacement efforts. On public safety, he wants to continue rebuilding Seattle’s police force and scaling up alternative responses and services. On transportation, he wants to use the renewed transportation levy to work on bicyclist, pedestrian and traffic safety in the district.
Ducksworth has been endorsed by Councilmembers Joy Hollingsworth, Bob Kettle, Dan Strauss and Mark Solomon along with Seattle’s Building Trades Unions, Teamsters 117, Ironworkers Local 86 and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587.
He has reached the $112,250 primary election fundraising cap for candidates participating in the Democracy Voucher Program.
Jamie Fackler
Jamie Fackler is a building inspector with Seattle’s Department of Construction and Inspections and a shop steward with PROTEC17, a union representing 3,300 city workers. Fackler’s progressive policy stances largely align with former Councilmember Morales’ — she has endorsed Fackler in the race — and he said he’ll bring a “much-needed” blue-collar perspective to City Hall.
Fackler’s top priorities include housing affordability, road safety and addressing the city’s public drug crisis.
Fackler supported Proposition 1A, the social housing tax measure, and wants to help Seattle’s Social Housing Developer get up to speed. He also wants to reduce permitting red tape to speed construction of affordable housing.
Rainier Avenue has long been considered one of Seattle’s most dangerous streets for crashes and fatalities. Fackler wants to improve road safety along the corridor and elsewhere in D2. When it comes to homelessness and the city’s public behavioral health problems, Fackler wants to stop spending money on homeless sweeps and redirect funds to outreach and treatment services.
In addition to Morales, Fackler’s been endorsed by King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda and former County Councilmember Larry Gossett. He’s drawn significant labor support, including from MLK Labor, PROTEC 17, American Federation of Teachers Washington and UAW 4121.
Fackler’s in last place for campaign contributions with $67,000.
Eddie Lin
Eddie Lin is an attorney with the Seattle City Attorney’s Office, where he primarily represents the Office of Housing, which he says gives him insight into addressing the city’s housing crisis. Lin was a finalist for the D2 appointment in January, selected by Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck. His top priorities include housing, taxation and public safety.
On housing, Lin wants an all-of-the-above approach, with more market-rate construction and subsidized affordable housing. He sees the city’s comprehensive plan update as critical to addressing the problem.
Lin said Washington’s regressive tax structure is a moral issue. While acknowledging that much of the work on taxes must happen at the state level, he said he would fight for a city-level capital gains tax and work to protect the Jumpstart payroll tax on big businesses.
As with housing, Lin said public safety needs an all-of-the-above response, including rebuilding Seattle’s police force and expanding alternatives that send social workers and mental health professionals to address crises.
Lin has been endorsed by State Sen. Emily Alvarado, Seattle School Board President Gina Topp and civil rights leader Sharon Maeda.
