Seattle mayor concedes election to newcomer

Katie Wilson, 43, a democratic socialist, says it’s hard for her to believe she won.

- By GEenEe JOHNSON

SEATTLE Mayor-elect Katie Wilson defeated first-term Mayor Bruce Harrell, 67, who was elected in 2021.

(NICK WAGNER Seattle Times)

First-term Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell conceded his reelection fight to progressive activist Katie Wilson on Thursday, handing another victory to leftist Democrats around the country frustrated with unaffordability, homelessness, public safety and the actions of President Trump’s administration.

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.

“I feel very good about the future of this country and this city still,” he said.

Wilson, 43, is a democratic socialist who has never held elected office. 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.”