One seat is up for grabs on Seattle’s city council in this election, representing neighborhoods in the northernmost part of the city.
Affordability and public safety are top among the issues in the race. The special election is happening because city council member Cathy Moore resigned in 2025. Debora Juarez was appointed to fill the seat since then but did not run in this election.
Nilu Jenks and Julie Kang emerged as the top two candidates in the August primary, with Jenks receiving more than half of the votes. The winner will only fill the seat for the last year of Moore’s term before facing re-election in 2027.
Jenks is a political director for nonprofit FairVote Washington. She says food deserts in the area are a concern after Lake City lost its only full-service grocery store in 2025. That’s part of what prompted her to run.
“I’m running because I think blue cities should show that they can govern and meet our needs: Public safety, transportation, housing, shelter, but also really basic infrastructure,” she said.
Jenks received the endorsements of the Stranger, the King County Democrats and King County Executive Girmay Zahilay.
Kang is a college instructor and says she heard a clear message while out canvassing with voters.
“People just want the basics to work,” she said. “Safe streets, vibrant parks, clean neighborhoods. These are not things that are gonna cost a lot of money, or it's out of the extraordinary. These are the basics.”
Kang was endorsed by the Seattle Times, City Councilmember Bob Kettle and former Council President Sara Nelson.
Both candidates acknowledge the limits to what they can do in a year. They both say, if they were elected, they would run for re-election to a full four-year term next fall.
