Socialism Comes to Seattle

Democratic mayoral candidate Katie Wilson, a self-professed socialist, has unseated incumbent Democratic Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, with multiple outlets projecting it eight days after polls closed.

Wilson is an activist who has been widely compared to socialist Democratic New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. He received 50.2% of the votes compared to Harrell’s 49.5%, according to Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) on Wednesday. 

Get this: While Wilson was initially behind in the vote count, late ballot dumps that broke in her favor were enough to put the leftist challenger over the finish line.

How late were the ballot dumps?

And what does she have planned for formerly beautiful Seattle?

Be informed, not misled.

The Daily Caller reports, "The sitting mayor led in early returns, prompting DDHQ to initially call the race for him on Nov. 6 — while there were still about 100,000 votes left to count. DDHQ retracted the call just one day later. King County Elections told the DDHQ website that there were tens of thousands fewer ballots left to count than there actually were."

Washington is one of eight states that use universal mail-in voting. The state does not require voter ID to cast ballots by mail.

On Wednesday, Mayor-elect Wilson posted this on social media, "Wow. While we wait for the few remaining ballots to be counted, we feel like we have won this race. The recent drop put us nearly 1,400 votes ahead, just under the .5 percent threshold for a mandatory recount.( pic.twitter.com/nWsIM8HfWr)

— Katie Wilson for Seattle Mayor (@wilsonformayor) November 12, 2025

Wow. While we wait for the few remaining ballots to be counted, we feel like we have won this race. The recent drop put us nearly 1,400 votes ahead, just under the .5 percent threshold for a mandatory recount. pic.twitter.com/nWsIM8HfWr

— Katie Wilson for Seattle Mayor (@wilsonformayor) November 12, 2025

What does Katie Wilson have in mind for Seattle?

Wilson called herself a “socialist” in an interview with The Seattle Times published Sept. 13. She said in the same interview that she was downplaying the “label.” She claimed to be “not a super ideological person” and added that she was not sure that “waving the socialist flag” would help her in the general election against Harrell.

“But, yes, I’m fine with being called a socialist,” she told the outlet.

Is she experienced enough to lead the city of Seattle?

You decide. Wilson, 43, is the daughter of two academics, and her parents financially support her and her unemployed husband.

What's going on with socialism?

Danney Westneat, himself a disciple of the Left, at the Seattle Times, explains:

American faith in capitalism is declining, the headlines blared this past week.

It’s a sign of the times: Only 54% of adults hold positive views of the nation’s dominant economic system. That’s the lowest since the Gallup polling firm started asking the question 15 years ago.

More relevant to this area, where Democrats are in charge, is a sea change in the liberal party. For the first time, fewer than half of Democratic voters, just 42%, have positive views of capitalism. By a 24-point margin, they are gravitating to something else.

Some area political candidates are seizing on it.

“By now we all know the S-word,” says Mike Westgaard, a candidate for Renton City Council. “Whether you love it, fear it, or are confused by it, it’s happening.”

That S-word is, of course, socialism. Westgaard is running for office as an out and proud “sewer socialist,” a branding he features in his campaign. “Sewer socialism” was a movement a century ago promising something deeply pragmatic that capitalism failed to deliver: Sewer lines with inside flush toilets for the masses.

“The beauty of sewer socialism is it starts right where you are — you might even be doing sewer socialism right now,” Westgaard says, walking out of a men’s room in a campaign video.

Other Democrats are apparently going socialist as well.

Wilson, instead of the more moderate Harrell, notably received an endorsement from the King County Democrats.

 Democratic Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal — who represents the majority of Seattle in the lower chamber — notably backed Wilson in an Oct. 6 post to X, writing that she was “proud to endorse her.”

“She [Wilson] will be a fighter for the principles of equity, immigrant justice, civil rights, and fundamental democratic rights that are all under threat right now,” Jayapal added in her statement endorsing the left-wing mayoral candidate, in which she also cited Wilson’s dominant primary performance.

She appears to be on the same page with her Leftist cohorts.

The plan.

Via the Daily Caller:

Wilson co-founded and runs the Transit Riders’ Union (TRU) a self-described “independent, democratic, member-run union of transit riders organizing for better public transit in Seattle, King County and beyond,” according to its website.

She ran for mayor on a left-wing platform emphasizing “climate action and environmental justice,” “police accountability,” “racial equity,” and raising “new progressive revenue,” according to her campaign website.

Wilson also said she would “Trump-proof” Seattle if elected, similar to Mamdani, who campaigned to do the same for New York City.

“One of my first political acts in Seattle was joining the massive march for immigrants’ and workers’ rights on May 1, 2006,” Wilson said on her campaign website, under the headline “Trump-Proof Seattle.” “That’s the Seattle I believe in. We stand up for the most vulnerable. We believe in democracy, climate action, robust public services, and good jobs. But all of that is under threat like never before.”

Yesterday's addition to the Daily Caller said, "Democratic Seattle Mayor-elect Katie Wilson declared that she will not allow private grocery stores to close in a resurfaced video from September."

Wilson said during her mayoral run that corporate grocery chains should not be allowed to only sell food to those who can afford it and expressed support for a “public option,” meaning that government-run grocery stores would be established. Her proposal emerged at a time when Democratic New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani had promised to establish government-run grocery stores throughout the city.

That sounds more like communism than socialism.

A taste of things to come.

“Access to affordable, healthy food is a basic right. We cannot allow giant grocery chains to stomp all over our communities, close stores that will leave behind food deserts,” Wilson said. “Together, we can build a Seattle where fresh food is for everyone, not just for those who can afford it. Food deserts are not natural, corporations create them when they abandon our communities.”

She then called on corporations to give a 90-day notice for mass layoffs and a fair severance package to those who had been laid off.

She said, “When grocery corporations lay off hundreds of people overnight, the whole community suffers. We need to set the standard here in Seattle. Corporations must give 90 days' notice for mass layoffs and fair severance pay for laid-off workers.

Wilson said, “Seattle families deserve fresh, affordable food and workers deserve dignity and stability.” 

She has also promised to appoint members to her cabinet who are black, Indigenous, Hispanic, “Latinx,” LGBTQ, and Asian, all in the name of “equity,” according to her website. 

She has also promised to protect Seattle’s status as a sanctuary city and defy President Donald Trump’s administration’s immigration enforcement.

Takeaway

Seattle-based radio host Ari Hoffman wrote on X Monday night, as late ballot drops continued to break for the socialist:

• "Katie Wilson didn’t win an election; Bruce Harrell lost one."
• "Bruce was a lousy mayor. He liked the idea of being mayor, but didn’t like doing the job."
• "In desperation to get re-elected rather than doing his job, he tried to out-progressive a progressive."
• "He ran a lazy campaign." 
• “He had no ballot harvest or ballot curing operation & his social media was non-existent.”

The radio host also called Seattle’s “mail-in ballot system” a “joke,” citing the slow pace of counting ballots in the mayoral election.

“King County elections claims they are ‘verifying’ each ballot,” he added. “What are they ‘verifying’ when there is no voter ID or other safeguards?”

Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Connected. Be Prayerful.