Mayoral election in Seattle, Washington (2025)
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← 2021
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| 2025 Seattle elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: May 9, 2025 |
| Primary election: August 5, 2025 General election: November 4, 2025 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: Mayor |
| Total seats up: 1 (click here for other city elections) |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2025 |
Incumbent Bruce Harrell and Katie Wilson are running in the November 4 general election for mayor of Seattle. In the Aug. 5 primary, Wilson and Harrell defeated six other candidates. Wilson received 50.8% of the vote, and Harrell received 41.2%.[1]
Following the primary, KOMO News political analyst and CEO of Strategies 360 Ron Dotzauer said he "believes the race will remain competitive, with messaging on cost of living, housing affordability, and public safety being crucial to Seattle voters."[2] According to the official primary election results, turnout in the primary was 39.5%.[1] In the August 2021 mayoral primary, turnout was 41.9%.[3] In the November 2021 general election, turnout was 54.6%.[4]
Harrell was first elected in 2021, when he defeated M. Lorena González 58.6%-41.2%. The last incumbent Seattle mayor to win re-election was Greg Nickels in 2005.[5]
Wilson is the co-founder and executive director of the Seattle-based Transit Riders Union.[6] Wilson's campaign website said, “The incumbent mayor has been a fixture in city hall since 2008. More people are sleeping unsheltered on our streets than ever before. Working families are struggling to stay afloat. We can do so much better. And as we face unprecedented national threats, we must do better.”[7][8] Several local Democratic organizations, including the King County Democrats, and Seattle’s 34th, 36th, 37th, and 43rd District Democrats endorsed Wilson. The Transit Riders Union, PROTEC17, and the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 3000 also endorsed Wilson.[9] As of Sept. 22, Wilson raised $791,000 and spent $490,000.[10]
Before he was elected mayor, Harrell was a lawyer and a member of the Seattle City Council from 2008 to 2020. Harrell is running on his record. His campaign website said, “We’ve delivered public safety solutions, kept parks and sidewalks open and accessible while moving people into shelter and housing with services, made historic investments in affordable housing, prioritized a transportation system focused on safety, and passed nation-leading climate legislation. But there is more work to do – this is the time for proven leadership.”[11] Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg (D), Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson (D), Attorney General Nick Brown (D), U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D), and U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D) endorsed Harrell. As of Sept. 22, Harrell raised $883,000 and spent $517,000.[12]
Before the primary election, MLK Labor had endorsed only Harrell. On September 17, 2025, delegates of the MLK Labor Council voted to endorse both Harrell and Wilson.[13]
On September 11, 2025, City Inside/Out hosted a debate between Wilson and Harrell. During the debate, the candidates discussed housing, public safety, the city budget, and the mayor's role in responding to the Trump Administration's policies.[14]
One issue the candidates differed on was funding for the city's new social housing developer, a public development authority created to develop, own, and maintain social housing in Seattle. On Feb. 11, Seattle voters approved Proposition 1A, a citizen initiative that established a new tax on payroll expenses to fund the social housing developer.[5][14]
During the debate, Wilson said, "Seattle voters have twice told us now overwhelmingly that they want the city to build permanently-affordable, publicly-owned, mixed-income housing. ...We need city leadership that's going to fight to make it work. And Harrell … has done nothing but try to undermine that project."[14]
Harrell said, "We have supported social housing corporation from the beginning. The only issue was how can it be funded. ... We wanted it to be funded in the existing payroll expense tax because we need those businesses to stay in Seattle."[14]
Another topic the candidates differed on was the proposed use of CCTV surveillance technology in the city, which Harrell supports and Wilson opposes.[14]
Wilson said, “The necessity of fighting Trump and protecting our immigrant and refugee communities and other vulnerable communities is exactly why I have grave concerns about the CCTV surveillance legislation, which our mayor supports and has transmitted to council. Because that proposal is to greatly increase the cameras around our city at a very sensitive time.”[14]
Harrell said, “People of color and people from immigrants and refugees communities … are asking me for tools to become safe. We will address all of the concerns about federal overreach… I will never allow my community to be over-surveilled by government technology. The safeguards are in place… and I will issue another executive order to assure those people that have concerns that their issues are addressed.”[14]
Seattle is also holding elections for city attorney and city council on November 4, 2025.
The filing deadline for this election was May 9, 2025.
This article covers the general election. For more information about the nonpartisan primary, click the link below:
Candidates and election results
Click on the tabs below to show more information about those topics.
Candidates and results
Note: Ballotpedia will add the candidate list for this election once we have it.
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for Mayor of Seattle
Incumbent Bruce Harrell and Katie Wilson are running in the general election for Mayor of Seattle on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
 | Bruce Harrell (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Katie Wilson (Nonpartisan) | |
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 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of Seattle
The following candidates ran in the primary for Mayor of Seattle on August 5, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Katie Wilson (Nonpartisan) | 50.7 | 98,562 |
| ✔ | | Bruce Harrell (Nonpartisan) | 41.2 | 80,043 |
 | Joe Mallahan (Nonpartisan) | 4.4 | 8,538 | |
 | Ry Armstrong (Nonpartisan) | 1.1 | 2,120 | |
 | Clinton Bliss (Nonpartisan) | 1.1 | 2,046 | |
| Isaiah Willoughby (Nonpartisan) | 0.4 | 817 | ||
 | Joe Molloy (Nonpartisan) | 0.4 | 799 | |
| Thaddeus Whelan (Nonpartisan) | 0.4 | 716 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 588 | ||
| Total votes: 194,229 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Alexander Barickman (Nonpartisan)
- David Tuniman (Nonpartisan)
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Washington elections, 2025
February 11, 2025
- Municipal elections in King County, Washington (2025)
- Seattle Public Schools, Washington, Proposition 1, Educational Programs and Operations Levy Renewal (February 2025)
- Seattle Public Schools, Washington, Proposition 2, Capital Levy Renewal (February 2025)
- Seattle, Washington, Proposition 1A and 1B, Funding Source for Social Housing Developer Measure (February 2025)
April 22, 2025
August 5, 2025
- Washington state legislative special elections, 2025
- Municipal elections in King County, Washington (2025)
- City elections in Seattle, Washington (2025)
- Seattle Public Schools, Washington, elections (2025)
- Lake Washington School District, Washington, elections (2025)
- Public Hospital District No. 2, Washington, Proposition 1, Raise the Property Tax Rate for 2025 Measure (August 2025)
- King County Fire Protection District No. 40, Washington, Proposition 1, Decrease the Size of the Board of Commissioners Measure (August 2025)
- King County, Washington, Proposition 1, Levy Property Tax Above the Limit for Six Years to Fund Open Space Projects Measure (August 2025)
- Seattle, Washington, Proposition 1, Democracy Voucher Program Property Tax Renewal Measure (August 2025)
- Shoreline School District, Washington, Proposition 1, Levy a Supplemental Property Tax for 2026 to Fund Education Programs Measure (August 2025)
November 4, 2025
- Washington state legislative special elections, 2025
- Washington SJR 8201, Allow Investment of Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Fund in Stocks and Other Equities Amendment (2025)
- Municipal elections in King County, Washington (2025)
- City elections in Seattle, Washington (2025)
- Seattle Public Schools, Washington, elections (2025)
- Lake Washington School District, Washington, elections (2025)
- King County, Washington, Proposition 1, Emergency Medical Services Property Tax Measure (November 2025)
- Seattle, Washington, Proposition 1, Education and Job Readiness Property Tax Measure (November 2025)
- Seattle, Washington, Proposition 2, Changes to Business and Occupation Tax Measure (November 2025)
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Washington
What was the voter registration deadline?
- In-person: November 4, 2025
- By mail: Received by October 27, 2025
- Online: October 27, 2025
What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?
- Washington is an all-mail voting state. In Washington, every voter receives a mail-in ballot by default. Voters may submit completed ballots by mail or place them in a ballot drop box. Voters can also vote in person at a voting center.
What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?
- In-person: November 4, 2025
- By mail: Postmarked by November 4, 2025
Is early voting available to all voters? Yes
What are the early voting start and end dates? October 17-November 4, 2025
Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required? Non-photo ID required
When are polls open on Election Day? 8:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Candidate comparison
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Incumbent: Yes
Political Office:
- Mayor of Seattle, Washington (Assumed office: 2022)
- Mayor of Seattle, Washington (2017-2017)
- Seattle City Council District 2 (2008-2020)
Biography: Harrell earned a bachelor's degree and a J.D. from the University of Washington. His career experience includes working as chief legal advisor to the Rainier Valley Community Development Fund and chief counsel to US West.
Show sources
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Biography: Wilson studied physics and philosophy at Oxford University. Her career experience included working as the co-founder and executive director of the Transit Riders Union (TRU). Her other experience included being a political columnist for Cascade PBS, PubliCola, The Urbanist, and The Stranger.
Show sources
Sources: Katie Wilson 2025 campaign website, "Home," accessed June 30, 2025;Katie Wilson 2025 campaign website, "Affordable and Abundant Housing," accessed June 30, 2025;Katie Wilson 2025 campaign website, "Get Results on Homelessness," accessed June 30, 2025;Katie Wilson 2025 campaign website, "Public Safety," accessed June 30, 2025; Katie Wilson 2025 campaign website, "About," accessed June 30, 2025
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
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No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:
Campaign ads
Bruce Harrell
View more ads here:
Katie Wilson
View more ads here:
Endorsements
Click the links below to see official endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites for any candidates that make that information available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.
Election competitiveness
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.
Election spending
Campaign finance
Candidates in this election submitted campaign finance reports to the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission. Click here to access those reports.
Satellite spending
- See also: Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[15][16][17]
If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.
Election context
Ballot access requirements
Information on ballot access requirements for candidates can be found here.
Election history
2021
See also: Mayoral election in Seattle, Washington (2021)
General election
General election for Mayor of Seattle
Bruce Harrell defeated M. Lorena Gonzalez in the general election for Mayor of Seattle on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bruce Harrell (Nonpartisan) | 58.6 | 155,294 |
 | M. Lorena Gonzalez (Nonpartisan) | 41.2 | 109,132 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 777 | ||
| Total votes: 265,203 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of Seattle
The following candidates ran in the primary for Mayor of Seattle on August 3, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bruce Harrell (Nonpartisan) | 34.0 | 69,612 |
| ✔ | | M. Lorena Gonzalez (Nonpartisan) | 32.1 | 65,750 |
 | Colleen Echohawk (Nonpartisan) | 10.3 | 21,042 | |
 | Jessyn Farrell (Nonpartisan) | 7.3 | 14,931 | |
| Arthur Langlie (Nonpartisan) | 5.6 | 11,372 | ||
 | Casey Sixkiller (Nonpartisan) | 3.4 | 6,918 | |
 | Andrew Grant Houston (Nonpartisan) | 2.7 | 5,485 | |
| James Donaldson (Nonpartisan) | 1.6 | 3,219 | ||
| Lance Randall (Nonpartisan) | 1.4 | 2,804 | ||
| Clinton Bliss (Nonpartisan) | 0.8 | 1,618 | |
| Omari Tahir-Garrett (Nonpartisan) | 0.2 | 391 | ||
| Bobby Tucker (Nonpartisan) | 0.2 | 377 | ||
 | Henry Dennison (Nonpartisan) | 0.2 | 347 | |
 | Stan Lippmann (Nonpartisan) | 0.2 | 323 | |
 | Don Rivers (Nonpartisan) | 0.1 | 189 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 386 | ||
| Total votes: 204,764 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2017
Seattle held general elections for mayor, city attorney, and two at-large seats on the city council on November 7, 2017. A primary election took place on August 1, 2017. The top two vote recipients after the final count of the primary vote advanced to the general election. The filing deadline for this election was May 19, 2017. Jenny Durkan defeated Cary Moon in the general election for mayor of Seattle.[18]
| Mayor of Seattle, General Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Jenny Durkan |
56.53% | 118,803 |
| Cary Moon | 43.47% | 91,345 |
| Total Votes | 210,148 | |
| Source: King County, "November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed November 28, 2017 | ||
The following candidates ran in the primary election for mayor of Seattle.[18]
| Mayor of Seattle, Primary Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Jenny Durkan |
27.90% | 51,529 |
| Cary Moon |
17.62% | 32,536 |
| Nikkita Oliver | 16.99% | 31,366 |
| Jessyn Farrell | 12.54% | 23,160 |
| Bob Hasegawa | 8.39% | 15,500 |
| Mike McGinn | 6.50% | 12,001 |
| Gary Brose | 2.16% | 3,987 |
| Harley Lever | 1.81% | 3,340 |
| Larry Oberto | 1.67% | 3,089 |
| Greg Hamilton | 0.92% | 1,706 |
| Michael Harris | 0.76% | 1,401 |
| Casey Carlisle | 0.71% | 1,309 |
| James Norton Jr. | 0.54% | 988 |
| Thom Gunn | 0.25% | 455 |
| Mary Martin | 0.23% | 422 |
| Jason Roberts | 0.22% | 405 |
| Lewis Jones | 0.19% | 344 |
| Alex Tsimerman | 0.14% | 253 |
| Keith Whiteman | 0.09% | 174 |
| Tiniell Cato | 0.09% | 170 |
| Dave Kane | 0.06% | 114 |
| Write-in votes | 0.23% | 418 |
| Total Votes | 184,667 | |
| Source: King County, "2017 election results," accessed August 15, 2017 | ||
2013
| Mayor of Seattle, 2013 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Ed Murray |
52.1% | 106,384 | |
| Mike McGinn Incumbent | 47.9% | 97,935 | |
| Total Votes | 204,319 | ||
| Source: Seattle, Washington, "Historical Election Results," accessed June 21, 2017 | |||
Mayoral partisanship
Seattle has a Democratic mayor. As of October 2025, 66 mayors in the largest 100 cities by population are affiliated with the Democratic Party, 23 are affiliated with the Republican Party, one is affiliated with the Libertarian Party, three are independents, five identify as nonpartisan or unaffiliated, and two mayors' affiliations are unknown. Click here for a list of the 100 largest cities' mayors and their partisan affiliations.
Mayoral elections are officially nonpartisan in most of the nation's largest cities. However, many officeholders are affiliated with political parties. Ballotpedia uses one or more of the following sources to identify each officeholder's partisan affiliation: (1) direct communication from the officeholder, (2) current or previous candidacy for partisan office, or (3) identification of partisan affiliation by multiple media outlets.
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2025 battleground elections
- See also: Battlegrounds
This is a battleground election. Other 2025 battleground elections include:
- Mayoral election in St. Louis, Missouri, 2025 (March 4 top-two primary)
- Wisconsin Supreme Court elections, 2025
- New Hampshire State Senate elections, 2026
See also
| Seattle, Washington | Washington | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 King County, "August 05, 2025 Election Results," accessed September 24, 2025
- ↑ KOMO News, "What's at stake as Seattle mayoral race heats up between Katie Wilson and Bruce Harrell," August 7, 2025
- ↑ King County, "August 03, 2021 Election Results," accessed September 24, 2025
- ↑ King County, "November 02, 2021," accessed September 24, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Axios Washington, "Meet the 7 people challenging Bruce Harrell for mayor," May 13, 2025
- ↑ The Urbanist, "Katie Wilson Jumps In Seattle Mayor Race as Progressive Coalition-Builder," March 12, 2025
- ↑ Katie Wilson 2025 campaign website, "Home," accessed June 18, 2025
- ↑ Katie Wilson 2025 campaign website, "Platform," accessed June 18, 2025
- ↑ Katie Wilson 2025 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed July 2, 2025
- ↑ Seattle Times, "Seattle mayoral candidate Katie Wilson gets grocery union endorsement," August 27, 2025
- ↑ Bruce Harrell 2025 campaign website, "Home," accessed June 12, 2025
- ↑ Bruce Harrell 2025 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed July 2, 2025
- ↑ Cascade PBS, "MLK Labor pivots to dual Harrell, Wilson endorsement for mayor," September 18, 2025
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 City Inside/Out, "City InsideOut: Seattle Mayoral Debate," September 11, 2025
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," December 12, 2021
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 King County, Washington, "Who has filed: 2017 candidate filing," accessed May 19, 2017
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