Katherine Barrett Wilson[2] (born July 12, 1982[citation needed]) is an American politician and activist serving as the 58th Mayor of Seattle since 2026. Wilson is the co-founder and executive director of the Transit Riders Union, a group that focuses on improving public transportation and workers' rights. In August 2025, Wilson placed first in the primary for the 2025 Seattle mayoral election, and advanced to the general election with incumbent mayor Bruce Harrell, later winning the election.
In fall 2011, Wilson co-founded the Seattle Transit Riders Union (TRU), a nonprofit 501(c)(4) focused on improving public transportation in Seattle and King County, where she has been a paid, full-time employee since 2019. Tax records show she earned almost $73,000 from the nonprofit in 2022. She also served as Executive Director and the group’s board president, an unpaid position.[8] The TRU is an organization that campaigns and lobbies for progressive causes.[9][10]
The organization was formed after a proposed 17% cut to King County Metro and an elimination of the fare-free zone in downtown.[10] In 2014, Wilson and the TRU successfully lobbied King County for the creation of the ORCA Lift program, which provided reduced fares for low-income individuals.[11][12] The TRU previously campaigned for increases to the minimum wage in Burien, SeaTac and Tukwila, as well as greater renters' rights, and better public transport.[9][11][12]
In 2020, Wilson played a role in the creation of Seattle's JumpStart tax, a payroll tax on private employers to fund affordable housing.[11][12] She was critical of Mayor Bruce Harrell for proposing redirecting JumpStart funds to balance the city budget instead of affordable housing projects.[13] Wilson was also a member of Harrell's Seattle Revenue Stabilization Workgroup, which explored and recommended additional progressive revenue to address the city's budget deficit.[11][12][14] For several years, Wilson was also a member of the board of the Economic Opportunity Institute.
In March 2025, Wilson announced a campaign to challenge incumbent Bruce Harrell for mayor of Seattle.[15] She cited Harrell's opposition to a February 2025 ballot measure that would fund housing through taxes on businesses as a factor in her decision to run.[11][16] Wilson, running as a progressive, stated her top three priorities as mayor are housing, homelessness, and protecting Seattle from federal actions.[6][11] In the primary, she was endorsed by every Democratic party organization in the city, including all six legislative district Democrats, The Stranger, and PROTEC17, a union that represents 3,000 city workers.[17][18][19]
In the weeks leading to the primary, polls indicated a close race between Wilson and Harrell, with both raising nearly $500,000.[16][20][21] In the August nonpartisan primary, Wilson placed first among a field of eight candidates, with 50.9% of the vote, and advanced to the general election with Harrell who earned 41.3%.[22][23]
Wilson's campaign was likened to the campaign of Zohran Mamdani in the 2025 New York City mayoral election by several publications, including The Nation and The Stranger.[17][24] She criticized Harrell for being part of the "status quo" and not properly addressing homelessness and sweeping individuals, while also not lowering the cost of living.[25][26] Harrell touted his administration's efforts on public safety, transportation, and housing affordability, while criticizing Wilson's previous support for the "Defund the police" movement.[26][27] During the campaign Wilson did not call for defunding the police, instead arguing that armed officers are not needed to respond to mental health and other non-crime calls that should be handled by other kinds of professionals.[27]
Wilson won by a margin of 0.73% in the November 4, 2025 general election, the closest mayoral election in Seattle by percentage since 1906.[28][29]
Tenure
Wilson was sworn into office on January 2, 2026, with local transit union leader Pauline Van Senus administering the oath of office.[30]
Through the Transit Riders Union, Wilson has successfully lobbied for the creation of the ORCA Lift program for low-income riders and free ORCA cards for students in Seattle Public Schools.[32][33][34] Wilson has also proposed fare-free transit in Seattle following the adoption of fare-free policy by Olympia-based Intercity Transit in 2020.[35][36] She has also advocated for subsidies on e-bikes and transit passes for employees, congestion pricing and a parking cash-out law.[36]
Wilson is a supporter of rent stabilization.[39] She has also supported increasing zoning for houses and public housing to tackle high rents, along with banning algorithmic price fixing and "junk fees" in rent costs.[40] Additionally, she has supported limiting the purchase of homes by private equity firms.[41]
Taxes
Wilson has been highly critical of Washington's state tax laws, which she has deemed as the "worst" in the United States.[42] Specifically, she notes that the lack on a income tax in Washington forces reliance on other sources of revenue like sales, excise, and property taxes that she claims benefit large companies like Amazon and Microsoft.[42] She has also supported progressive tax reform campaigns within Seattle.[43][44] In 2020, Wilson advocated for the Amazon Tax campaign in Seattle City Council, led by Councilmember Kshama Sawant. She similarly supported the JumpStart Tax, which focused on taxing larger businesses with high-earning employees, including Amazon.[43] The JumpStart Tax would be introduced as legislation by Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, passing with a 7-2 vote.[45]
During her mayoral campaign, Wilson proposed additional taxes to generate revenue for the city, including a tax on landlords that own vacant properties and a capital gains tax.[46][47]
Personal life
Wilson is married to fellow activist Scott Myers, whom she met during high school in Binghamton.[4] They rent a one-bedroom apartment in Capitol Hill and have one daughter.[4]
Wilson does not own a car and primarily rides public transit to get around Seattle with her daughter. Wilson has also previously used a bicycle for transportation, although she relies more on transit since having a child.[48]
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