Eddie Lin | |
|---|---|
| Lin in 2025 | |
| Member-elect of the Seattle City Council from the 2nd District | |
| Assuming office January 2026 | |
| Succeeding | Mark Solomon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edward Chia Lin [1] [2] 1976or1977(age 48–49) |
| Residence(s) | Beacon Hill,Seattle |
| Education | Macalester College (BA) Seattle University (JD) |
| Website | Campaign website |
Edward Chia Lin is an American politician and attorney who is the councilmember-elect for Seattle City Council District 2. He was elected in 2025,in a special election following the resignation of Tammy Morales.
Lin was raised in the "Research Triangle" of North Carolina. [3] His father was a Taiwanese immigrant and his mother is white;they both met while attending Duke University and married only a few years after Loving v. Virginia outlawed bans on interracial marriage. [4] [5] Lin moved to Minnesota and attended Macalester College,though he did not finish his degree. [6] He moved to Seattle with his wife in the late 1990s,where he finished his degree at Seattle University. They moved to Oakland,where Lin worked as a secretary in two law firms before returning to Seattle to work as an assistant attorney for the Seattle City Attorney's Office. [6] [7]
Tammy Morales resigned from the Seattle City Council in January 2025,leaving a vacant seat to be filled via appointment. [8] Lin was one of six finalists nominated by a councilmember for the appointment,being nominated by Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck. [9] Morales' seat was eventually filled by the appointment of Mark Solomon,who did not run for reelection to the seat. [10]
In late February,Lin announced his campaign for the special election to serve the remainder of Morales' term. [4] Out of a field of four candidates,Lin earned a plurality of the votes in the August primary,advancing along with Adonis Ducksworth,a transportation policy advisor for Mayor Bruce Harrell. [11] Lin campaigned to Ducksworth's left,pushing for a capital gains tax,increased construction of affordable housing,and restructuring the Seattle Police Department to include social workers. [12] He would win the general election in November decisively over Ducksworth. [8]
Lin is married with two children;his wife works as an educator. They live in Beacon Hill. [6]
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eddie Lin | 11,205 | 47.40% | |
| Adonis Ducksworth | 6,941 | 29.36% | |
| Jeanie Chunn | 2,992 | 12.66% | |
| Jamie Fackler | 2,397 | 10.14% | |
| Write-in | 106 | 0.45% | |
| Total votes | 23,641 | 100.00% | |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eddie Lin | 21,030 | 68.45% | |
| Adonis Ducksworth | 9,572 | 31.16% | |
| Write-in | 119 | 0.39% | |
| Total votes | 30,721 | 100.00% | |