After trailing by about 8% on election night, Katie Wilson narrowed the margin in successive vote tallies until she pulled ahead of Mayor Bruce Harrell on November 10. She ultimately won by a little over 2,000 votes, slightly more than .5%.
Wilson, the founder of the Transit Riders Union, had an extensive platform during the campaign that mixed new progressive policies – including new progressive taxes – with greater government efficiency and effectiveness. With the City Council now finalizing the 2026 budget, the Mayor-elect will not have a large impact on next year’s budget.
On public safety issues, Wilson has expressed support for expanding the alternative intervention program, CARES, which responds to calls involving people confronting mental health challenges. She has also called for expanding police accountability, but her power is limited by the approved contract for the Seattle Police Officers Guild (“SPOG”).
The Mayor-elect recently announced her transition team, a director and four co-chairs.
In the meantime, President Trump fired his first salvo at the incoming mayor. Calling Wilson a “very, very liberal-slash-communist mayor,” the President urged FIFA President Gianni Infantino to pull the 2026 World Cup games from Seattle. The World Cup is the biggest sporting event ever to arrive in Seattle, with 750,000 people expected to attend the games. Earlier this year, Mayor Bruce Harrell pushed back against similar comments by President Trump.
