Last week, I wrote at length about the 2025 election cycle. Odd-numbered election years do not ordinarily turn heads, as no federal offices for election, but 2025 saw a strong increase in participation, in which voters overwhelmingly rejected the current Republican administration. But as is the case with any election, some constituencies count more slowly, and of note was a mayoral race in one of America’s major cities: Seattle. Katie Wilson, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist and Democrat, narrowly beat and unseated incumbent Democrat Bruce Harrell, after a long week of counting.
Katie Wilson seems to be, without a doubt, riding on the same progressive wave that saw Zohran Mamdani win in New York City, and Omar Fateh come within striking distance in Minneapolis. According to Cascade PBS, Wilson decided to get involved in the mayoral race after Proposition 1A, a progressive social housing initiative, won out against real estate interests in the city the previous year. She is the cofounder of Transit Riders Union, a group that focuses on public transit (as the name suggests) as well as labor rights in the city.
On election night, it seemed Wilson was trailing behind the incumbent Harrell. However, as more ballots came in, the lead narrowed, until on November 13, she surpassed Harrel, according to Ballotpedia. Katie Wilson, as of the time of writing, holds a lead that just breaks 2,000 votes in an election with more than 275,000 votes cast. With yet another major American city soon to be led by a staunch anti-Republican mayor, it is only clearer that the American appetite for Trump has run its course, and it seems more likely that the next three years will be dictated by a race to be seen as the most anti-Trump candidate.