"Harrell, a centrist Democrat who previously served three terms on the City Council, led in early results. But Washington conducts all-mail elections, with ballots postmarked by Election Day. Later-arriving votes, which historically trend more liberal, broke heavily in Wilson's favor, adding to a progressive shift to the left nationally. In a concession speech at City Hall on Thursday afternoon, Harrell said he had congratulated Wilson in a "delightful" call."
"She told a news conference later Thursday that it was hard for her to believe she had been elected mayor, considering that at the beginning of this year she had no intention of running, and she acknowledged concerns about her lack of experience: "No one saw this coming." But she also spoke to the resonance of her volunteer-driven campaign among voters concerned about affordability and public safety in a city where the cost of living has soared as Amazon and other tech companies proliferated."
Bruce Harrell conceded the Seattle mayoral race to progressive activist Katie Wilson after later-arriving, mail-postmarked ballots trended heavily for Wilson. Harrell had led in early results, but Washington's all-mail system allowed ballots postmarked by Election Day to arrive later and favor more liberal candidates. Wilson, 43, is a democratic socialist with no prior elected office who ran a volunteer-driven campaign focused on affordability, public safety, universal child care, better mass transit, and stable affordable housing. Wilson acknowledged concerns about her experience and a significant city budget shortfall but said she would pursue her priorities and build coalitions.
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