SEATTLE – Working Families Party congratulates winners in the Seattle-area elections including Katie Wilson, who is heading to a head-to-head election with current Seattle mayor Bruce Harrell in November. Initial results in that race show Wilson beating Harrell by nearly two points. Challenger Dionne Foster garnered 53.69 percent of the vote to City Council Speaker Sara Nelson’s 39 percent in the race for the Position 9 Seattle City Council seat. Working Families Party champion Alexis Mercedes Rinck, the Position 8 incumbent, got 75 percent of the vote in a five-way race. These strong showings clearly demonstrate voter demand for change in city government. 

The success of these campaigns are a direct challenge to Seattle’s corporate-backed status quo. Last year’s landslide victory for a grassroots social housing initiative—despite fierce opposition from Mayor Bruce Harrell, Amazon, and the tech establishment—proved that Seattle voters are hungry for change. Foster had a strong showing against incumbent City Council Speaker Sara Nelson, backed by developers, realtors, and the Chamber of Commerce, whose tenure has been marked by attempts to roll back worker protections and attacks on Seattle’s unhoused population. 

“Seattle’s voters have a hunger for candidates who represent them first, not tech and not the richest residents,” said Vanessa Clifford, Northwest Regional Director for the Working Families Party. “The campaign Working Families Party ran to support these candidates involved the working people of Seattle from interviewing and selecting our endorsees, to staffing events and putting feet on the street to talk to voters about exercising our power in our city.”  

Coming on the heels of a historic victory for WFP candidate Zohran Mamdani in the New York City mayoral primary, WFP is bringing this energy and excitement to the Seattle area. Just like in New York, where voters rejected corporate politics in favor of people-centered leadership, voters have a real chance to elect representatives who live and understand their everyday struggles. 

“These results show that Seattle voters want change,” said Katie Wilson. “Our city is plainly unaffordable for working people, and the current administration has shown no vision of leadership for how to address this vital problem. Together with Working Families Party, my message of creating an affordable, livable Seattle has clearly resonated with voters.”

These wins build on the Working Families Party’s growing momentum in the region, with the elections of working class champions Seattle Councilwoman Rink, and King County Council members Jorge L. Barón and Teresa Mosqueda. 

More than 100 WFP state committee representatives and members took part in the endorsement process, which involved in-person interviews. Working Families Party has worked with partners to provide these candidates with texting, door knocking, and coordinated canvasses. The Party hosted 30 volunteer events from canvasses to picnics since May 1st with 1,000 volunteers and member leaders participating. 

Working Families Party is also supporting Giramy Zahilay for King County Executive, who is ahead by 10 points. Outside of Seattle, Working Families Party endorsed candidates for Spokane City Council, city council candidates in Burien in King County, and candidates for Whatcom County Council District 2 and Cheney City Council.   

Outside of Seattle, Working Families Party-endorsed candidates include Spokane City Council  incumbent Zack Zappone, has a strong first place lead, while Whatcom County Council District 2 Maya Morales and Cheney City Council Rebecca Long are all currently looking good to make it to the general election. 

In Burien, incumbents Hugo Garcia and Sarah Moore for Burien City Council Position 1 and Position 5, respectively, both came in strongly in first place with initial results and will move onto the general election.  

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