Seattle has elected its first democratic socialist mayor, echoing the recent victory of Zohran Mamdani in New York City’s mayoral contest.
Katie Wilson, 43, had a nearly 2,000-vote lead over incumbent Bruce Harrell as of Wednesday, making it impossible for him to close the gap with just over 1,300 remaining votes to be counted.
Like Mamdani, Wilson ran on a campaign characterized by promises to increase affordability in the city. Another core part of her platform is addressing Seattle’s homelessness crisis, which is one of the worst in the country.
Critics have called Wilson privileged and out of touch, as she regularly receives checks from her professor parents to pay for childcare.
Those critics also highlight that Wilson dropped out of Oxford University just six weeks shy of graduation, leaving the school without debt thanks to her parents.
Harrell’s reelection website featured a quote from Carolyn Riley-Payne, former Seattle King County NAACP President, saying: ‘It’s hard to trust a candidate running on their challenges with affordability when her family’s wealth shields her from actual consequences and financial stress.
‘Wilson chose to not graduate from college, and now chooses to rely on parental subsidy to avoid financial hardship.’
Wilson and her husband spend $2,200 per month on daycare for their toddler and another $2,200 to rent their apartment.
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