Early results in the November general election show close results in some key races. In the race for Seattle Mayor, incumbent Bruce Harrell leads his challenger, Katie Wilson, by 7%, reversing a 9% loss in the August primary. However, Seattle candidates (like Wilson) who are endorsed by The Stranger often surge in ballot counting following election day, so this race is too close to call.
In the campaign for King County Executive, Girmay Zahilay narrowly leads fellow King County Councilmember, Claudia Balducci, by a razor-thin 1.6% margin. Like Wilson, Zahilay was endorsed by The Stranger, so his vote margin could grow significantly over the coming week.
Some races were far less close. The City’s two At-large Councilmembers saw very different outcomes. Council President Sara Nelson (Position 9) trails her challenger by over 16% while Position 8 Councilmember, Alexis Mercedes Rinck, coasted to victory by more than 58%. In the District 2 race, Eddie Lin rolled up an impressive 37% win over Adonis Ducksworth.
In the Seattle City Attorney race, incumbent Ann Davison lost to challenger Erika Evans by more than 25%.
Seattle voters also approved a change in the city’s business and occupancy (“B&O”) that will eliminate or reduce the tax on 90% of all businesses. However, the remaining 10% of businesses with the highest gross revenues will see their tax rate jump by about 60%.
