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2 of the 9 seats on the Seattle City Council 5 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||
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 Composition of the Seattle City Council by political party [a] | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Washington |
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The 2021 Seattle City Council election were held on November 2, 2021. Two seats of the nine-member Seattle City Council were up for election.
Four incumbent members of the Seattle City Council did not seek reelection in the 2019 election while the three other incumbents won reelection. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Mayor Jenny Durkan announced that she would not seek reelection in the 2021 election. [6]
The 2021 election cycle was the 3rd use of Seattle's Democracy Vouchers Program, [7] which other cities and states have looked to replicate. [8]
Teresa Mosqueda, who had served on the city council since her election in 2015, announced on May 5, 2021, that she would seek reelection instead of running in the mayoral election. [9] Kate Martin, who was also running for mayor, announced her campaign for city council on March 23. [10] Michael McQuaid ran in the election, but withdrew after his criminal record involving multiple assaults was reported on. [11] [12]
Bobby Lindsey, Jordan Elizabeth Fisher, Martin, Paul Glumaz, and Mosqueda are participating in the democracy voucher program. [13]
| Candidate | Campaign committee | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raised | Spent | COH | L&D | ||||
| Brian Fahey [14] | $1,914.23 | $1,914.23 | $0.00 | $0.00 | |||
| Jordan Elizabeth Fisher [15] | $1,751.38 | $0.00 | $1,751.38 | $0.00 | |||
| Paul Glumaz [16] | $6,861.86 | $2,797.73 | $4,064.13 | $0.00 | |||
| Kate Martin [17] | $5,846.25 | $3,576.49 | $2,269.76 | $0.00 | |||
| Teresa Mosqueda [18] | $163,777.20 | $47,922.85 | $115,854.35 | $3,090.80 | |||
Federal officials
Statewide officials
Local officials
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [b] | Margin of error | Brian Fahey | Jordan Elizabeth Fisher | George Freeman | Paul Glumaz | Jesse James | Kate Martin | Bobby Lindsey Miller | Teresa Mosqueda | Alex Tsimerman | Alexander White | Kenneth Wilson | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Change Research (D) [20] [A] | July 12–15, 2021 | 617 (LV) | ± 4.3% | 0% | 1% | 0% | 3% | 1% | 6% | 3% | 26% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 55% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Teresa Mosqueda (incumbent) | 113,052 | 59.4 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kenneth Wilson | 30,862 | 16.2 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kate Martin | 21,997 | 11.6 | |
| Nonpartisan | Paul Glumaz | 10,228 | 5.4 | |
| Nonpartisan | Alexander White | 2,474 | 1.3 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bobby Miller | 2,438 | 1.3 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jesse James | 2,051 | 1.1 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jordan Elizabeth Fisher | 1,810 | 1.0 | |
| Nonpartisan | George Freeman | 1,575 | 0.8 | |
| Nonpartisan | Alex Tsimerman | 961 | 0.5 | |
| Nonpartisan | Brian Fahey | 887 | 0.8 | |
| Write-in | 2,075 | 1.1 | ||
| Total votes | 190,410 | 100.0 | ||
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Nonpartisan | Nonpartisan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn | ||||||
| Teresa Mosqueda | Kenneth Wilson | |||||
| 1 | Sep. 30, 2021 | Seattle Channel | Brian Callanan | [22] | P | P |
Graphical summary
 | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [b] | Margin of error | Teresa Mosqueda | Kenneth Wilson | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Change Research (D) [23] [A] | October 12–15, 2021 | 617 (LV) | ± 4.1% | 39% | 31% | 3% [c] | 26% |
| Elway Research [24] | September 7–9, 2021 | 400 (LV) | ± 5.0% | 33% | 17% | 11% | 33% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Teresa Mosqueda (incumbent) | 149,589 | 59.40 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kenneth Wilson | 101,168 | 40.17 | |
| Write-in | 1,074 | 0.43 | ||
| Total votes | 251,831 | 100.00 | ||
Lorena González, who was first elected in the 2015 election and was selected to serve as president of the city council in 2020, announced on February 3, 2021, that she would run in the mayoral election. [26] Nikkita Oliver, who had run in the 2017 mayoral election, announced that they would run for city council on March 10. [27] Businesswoman Sara Nelson, who had run in the 8th district in 2017, [28] and Brianna Thomas, who worked as González's chief of staff, also ran in the election. [29]
Brianna K. Thomas, Corey Eichner, Oliver, and Xtian Gunter are participating in the democracy voucher program. [13]
| Candidate | Campaign committee | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raised | Spent | COH | L&D | ||||
| Corey Eichner [30] | $9,680.00 | $4,358.33 | $5,321.67 | $0.00 | |||
| Claire Grant [31] | $901.32 | $427.77 | $473.55 | $0.00 | |||
| Lindsay McHaffie [32] | $0.00 | $1,296.86 | -$1,296.86 | $0.00 | |||
| Sara Nelson [33] | $133,853.98 | $39,223.04 | $94,630.94 | $5,500.00 | |||
| Nikkita Oliver [34] | $183,429.01 | $55,176.40 | $128,252.61 | $0.00 | |||
| Brianna Thomas [35] | $86,278.01 | $39,301.57 | $46,976.44 | $6,372.00 | |||
Local officials
Media
Individuals
State officials
Local officials
Organizations
Media
State officials
Local officials
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [b] | Margin of error | Corey Eichner | Xtian Gunther | Lindsay McHaffie | Sara Nelson | Nikkita Oliver | Brianna Thomas | Rebecca Williamson | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Change Research (D) [42] [A] | July 12–15, 2021 | 617 (LV) | ± 4.3% | 3% | 1% | 0% | 11% | 26% | 6% | 0% | 50% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Nikkita Oliver | 79,799 | 40.2 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sara Nelson | 78,388 | 39.5 | |
| Nonpartisan | Brianna Thomas | 26,651 | 13.4 | |
| Nonpartisan | Corey Eichner | 10,228 | 3.5 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lindsay McHaffie | 3,048 | 1.5 | |
| Nonpartisan | Rebecca Williamson | 1,646 | 0.8 | |
| Nonpartisan | Xtian Gunther | 1,409 | 0.7 | |
| Write-in | 637 | 0.3 | ||
| Total votes | 198,608 | 100.0 | ||
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Nonpartisan | Nonpartisan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn | ||||||
| Sara Nelson | Nikkita Oliver | |||||
| 1 | Oct. 5, 2021 | Seattle Channel | Brian Callanan | YouTube | P | P |
Graphical summary
| Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [b] | Margin of error | Sara Nelson | Nikkita Oliver | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Change Research (D) [43] [A] | October 12–15, 2021 | 617 (LV) | ± 4.1% | 41% | 37% | 2% [d] | 21% |
| Elway Research [24] | September 7–9, 2021 | 400 (LV) | ± 5.0% | 31% | 26% | 9% | 34% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Sara Nelson | 139,336 | 53.84 | |
| Nonpartisan | Nikkita Oliver | 119,025 | 45.99 | |
| Write-in | 437 | 0.17 | ||
| Total votes | 258,798 | 100.00 | ||
Partisan clients
The Seattle City Council is the legislative body of the city of Seattle, Washington. The Council consists of nine members serving four-year terms, seven of which are elected by electoral districts and two of which are elected in citywide at-large positions; all elections are non-partisan. It has the responsibility of approving the city's budget, and passes all legislation related to the city's police, firefighting, parks, libraries, and electricity, water supply, solid waste, and drainage utilities. (The mayor of Seattle is not considered part of council.)
Jenny Anne Durkan is an American attorney, former federal prosecutor, and politician who served as the 56th mayor of Seattle, Washington. She is the daughter of Martin Durkan. Durkan is a member of the Democratic Party. After earning her Juris Doctor from University of Washington School of Law in 1985, Durkan began practicing law as a criminal defense lawyer and civil litigator. In October 2009, President Barack Obama appointed her United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington. She held that position until September 2014.
Sally G. Bagshaw is an American politician and former member of the Seattle City Council from 2016–2019. Before being elected to city council, she had been the chief civil deputy prosecutor in the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office for eight years under Norm Maleng.
Kshama Sawant is an Indian-American politician and economist who served on the Seattle City Council from 2014 to 2024. She was a member of Socialist Alternative, the first and only member of the party to date to be elected to public office.
Teresa Carmen Mosqueda is an American politician and labor activist from Seattle, Washington. She is a member of the King County Council and has represented District 8 since 2024. Mosqueda was a member of the Seattle City Council from 2017 to 2023, in at-large position 8.
The 2017 Seattle mayoral election was held on November 7, 2017. It was won by former U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan, who beat civic activist Cary Moon in the general election by 15 percentage points. The two candidates had advanced from an earlier primary election held in August, which ensured that Seattle would have its first female mayor since Bertha Knight Landes was elected in 1926. Municipal elections are officially nonpartisan though most candidates have declared party affiliations.
The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington were held on November 3, 2020, to elect the 10 U.S. representatives from the state of Washington, one from each of the state's 10 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.
Nikkita R. Oliver is an American lawyer, non-profit administrator, educator, poet, and politician. They were a candidate for Mayor of Seattle in the 2017 mayoral election, but finished third in the primary with 17% of the vote. Oliver was defeated again in an at-large Seattle city council race in 2021.
Carol Consuela Moon is an American political activist who was part of the campaign to re-open Seattle's waterfront after the replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Moon was a candidate for Mayor of Seattle in the 2017 mayoral election, finishing second in the primary and advancing to face Jenny Durkan. During the general election, she trailed Durkan in preliminary results and conceded.
The 2018 Burlington mayoral election was held on March 6, 2018. Incumbent Democratic Mayor Miro Weinberger defeated independent candidates Carina Driscoll, who had the support of the Vermont Progressive Party, and Infinite Culcleasure.
The 2021 Seattle mayoral election was held on November 2, 2021, to elect the Mayor of Seattle. It was won by former Seattle City Council President Bruce Harrell, who defeated then-current President Lorena González; both candidates had advanced from a nonpartisan primary election on August 3.
The 2021 Boston City Council election was held on November 2, 2021. All thirteen councillors from the nine districts and four councillors at-large were up for election. Elections in Boston are officially nonpartisan.
Kirsten Harris-Talley is an American politician who served as a member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 37th legislative district.
The 2021 Seattle City Council 3rd district recall election was held on December 7, 2021. Kshama Sawant, a member of the Seattle City Council from the 3rd district, defeated an attempt to recall her. This was the first recall election held in Seattle since the one held against Mayor Wesley C. Uhlman in 1975, and the first for a city councilor in the city's history.
The 2019 Seattle City Council election was held on November 5, 2019. Seven seats of the nine-member Seattle City Council were up for election. Four incumbent members of the city council did not run for reelection, while the remaining three incumbents all won reelection.
In 2020, a general election for Council of the District of Columbia was held on November 3, and a special election was held on June 27. Elections were held in four of the districts and one at-large. The Democratic Party retained its control of the city council and the council became majority female for the first time since the 1998 election.
The 2021 Seattle City Attorney election was held on November 2, 2021. Incumbent City Attorney Pete Holmes sought reelection to a fourth term in office, but came third place in the officially nonpartisan August 3 primary election and failed to advance to the general election, with both Nicole Thomas-Kennedy and Ann Davison finishing ahead of Holmes in the primary. Davison defeated Thomas-Kennedy in the general election.
Sara E. Nelson is an American businesswoman and politician serving as a member of the Seattle City Council from Position 9. A member of the Democratic Party, she defeated Nikkita Oliver in the 2021 election. On January 2, 2024, the city council voted unanimously to appoint her City Council President upon the retirement of Debora Juarez.
The 2023 Seattle City Council election was held on November 7, 2023, following a primary election on August 1. The seven district-based seats of the nine-member Seattle City Council are up for election; the districts were modified based on the results of the 2020 census. Four incumbent members of the city council did not seek reelection.
Alexis Mercedes Rinck is an American politician who is the member-elect of the Seattle City Council for at-large position 8. A member of the Democratic Party, she defeated incumbent appointed Council member Tanya Woo in the November 2024 special election.
