Hi everyone,
As of Monday’s ballot drop, socialist challenger Katie Wilson has inched 91 votes ahead of incumbent Mayor Bruce Harrell, turning what looked like a comfortable early lead for the moderate Democrat into a stunning late-game collapse.
Let’s be clear: Katie Wilson didn’t win an election. Bruce Harrell lost one.
Harrell entered this race with every advantage: incumbency, name recognition, and a city desperate for basic competence on crime, homelessness, and downtown recovery. But he governed like someone who liked the idea of being mayor more than the actual work. When hard choices came due, he caved or was missing in action.
Then, instead of running on a record of firm leadership, Harrell tried something worse: he tried to out-progressive a progressive. Rather than drawing a sharp contrast with Wilson’s hard-left record, he blurred it. The result? Voters who wanted a real progressive already had one, and voters who wanted a centrist suddenly weren’t sure Harrell was on their side.
On the debate stage, he managed to alienate exactly the voters he needed most. When Harrell said he wouldn’t arrest prolific offenders and wanted to “get to know them instead,” he didn’t just lose Republicans, he bled moderates who are exhausted by chaos and crime. He blew every chance to draw a clear line between public safety and performative progressivism.
If Wilson ultimately wins, it won’t be because Seattle suddenly discovered socialism. It will be because Bruce Harrell deserved to lose, and Seattle voters deserve what comes next.
—Ari Hoffman
