A short time ago, King County Elections released the initial returns from Washington State’s August 2023 Top Two election. Here’s what the Seattle electoral landscape now looks like following the first drop of the cycle.
The high level view
Seattle switched to having a mostly district-based city council in the 2010s, and now elects its citywide positions in years that follow a presidential election and its district-based positions in years that precede a presidential election. Of the nine council seats, seven are elected from districts, and all are being contested this year. Forty-five candidates filed for those seven positions, and fourteen can earn spots on the general election ballot, which means thirty-one must be eliminated.
Four council incumbents opted against running again this year, while three chose to face the voters and seek new terms. The retiring councilmembers are Lisa Herbold, Kshama Sawant, Debora Juarez, and Alex Pedersen; those running again are Tammy Morales, Dan Stauss, and Andrew Lewis. All three of the incumbents are leading in the first drop, but only Strauss has a majority of the vote.
District #1
The 1st District is centered on West Seattle and is currently represented by Councilmember Lisa Herbold, who chose not to run again. The current top two vote getters are Maren Costa and Rob Saka, who were endorsed by The Stranger / PubliCola / The Urbanist and The Seattle Times, respectively. Not far behind them is Phil Tavel. The other five candidates are in the single digits.
If Tavel does well in the late ballots, he might be able to nab one of the top two spots. But it’s looking like the general election matchup could be Costa v. Saka.
Costa is an experienced technology leader with a strong progressive platform.
“Maren Costa has more than two decades of experience and holds more than a dozen patents as a Senior Leader at tech companies including Adobe, Amazon, and Microsoft,” her website says. “She is an advisor for three climate start ups: Power Bloom Solar, Carbon Zero, and Karma Wallet.”
“A passionate advocate for women’s rights, workers’ rights, and ethical AI, Maren is also a founding member and the current President of Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, a worker-powered organization credited with monumental wins, such as Amazon’s Climate Pledge, and the $10 billion Bezos Earth Fund.”
Saka is an Air Force veteran and attorney.
“I am a Seattle Public Schools dad of three, attorney, justice reform advocate, Air Force Veteran, and West Seattle resident,” his website says. “As the son of a Nigerian immigrant, I overcame abject poverty, a traumatic and unstable home life cycling through the foster care system, to rise in the ranks of the U.S. Air Force, earn my college and law degrees under the G.I. Bill, and achieve success as an attorney and policy advocate in Seattle and King County.”
Here are the initial results for this contest:
 | Maren Costa Nonpartisan | 4,283 votes | 29.05% |
 | Rob Saka Nonpartisan | 3,745 votes | 25.4% |
 | Phil Tavel Nonpartisan | 3,154 votes | 21.39% |
 | Preston Anderson Nonpartisan | 1,252 votes | 8.49% |
 | Stephen Brown Nonpartisan | 955 votes | 6.48% |
 | Jean Iannelli Craciun Nonpartisan | 499 votes | 3.38% |
 | Lucy Barefoot Nonpartisan | 495 votes | 3.36% |
 | Mia Jacobson Nonpartisan | 319 votes | 2.16% |
District #2
The 2nd District spans southeast Seattle (Beacon Hill, the Rainier Valley, Rainier Beach, and adjacent neighborhoods). It is currently represented by Councilmember Tammy Morales, who is seeking reelection.
Morales has 48.14% of the vote in this first drop. She is facing two opponents: Tanya Woo and Margaret Elisabeth. Woo is very close to Morales, with 45.41% of the vote. Elizabeth is far behind with only 5.94%. It’s a safe assumption that the general election will be a matchup between Morales and Woo.
“I’ve been in Seattle for over twenty years, working and advocating for Seattle’s communities of color,” Morales says on her campaign website.
“Prior to being elected to City Council in 2019, I worked for an affordable housing lender, as a community organizer, and a food justice advocate. I am trained as a community and regional planner—having spent my career working with frontline communities to bring about food security and to stop displacement in low-income neighborhoods. Currently, I chair the Neighborhoods, Education, Civil Rights, and Culture Committee where we work to help families who are struggling in our city and create an economy that works for everyone.”
“My family immigrated to Seattle in 1887. I grew up on Beacon Hill, worked at our family business in the Chinatown International District and now live in Rainier Beach. I’ve seen how South Seattle has changed. I’ve seen what happens to neighborhoods that don’t have a voice and are expected to just live with bad city policies. I want to change that, and that’s why I’m running for Seattle City Council,” Woo says on her campaign website.
“I want to elevate the voices of people. We’ve seen too many of our friends and family forced out because of housing costs. You can count on me to speak up for the people of South Seattle and to fight for fair housing.”
Here are the initial results for this contest:
 | Tammy J Morales Nonpartisan | 5,624 votes | 48.14% |
 | Tanya Woo Nonpartisan | 5,305 votes | 45.41% |
 | Margaret Elisabeth Nonpartisan | 694 votes | 5.94% |
District #3
The 3rd District includes Capitol Hill, Madrona, Madison Park, the Central District, and adjacent areas. It is currently represented by Councilmember Kshama Sawant, who decided against seeking reelection. Sawant’s party, Socialist Alternative, did not field a candidate to succeed her in this election.
Former Transportation Choices Coalition leader Alex Hudson and cannabis entrepeneur Joy Hollingsworth are the current top two vote getters. Both are well ahead enough of their competition to be able to move on. Like Costa, Hudson was backed by The Stranger, The Urbanist, and PubliCola — an important trifecta of endorsements. Hollingsworth was endorsed by The Seattle Times.
“Joy was born and raised in the Central District, a neighborhood her family has called home since the 1940s,” Hollingsworth’s campaign website explains.
“A product of the neighborhood, she went to Stevens Elementary, TOPS at Seward and Meany Middle School while always spending her summers at Garfield Community Center youth camps. Joy was born and raised in the Central District, a neighborhood her family has called home since the 1940’s.”
“Joy works to build community by establishing relationships based on trust and commitment. She learned these values from her mom who spent her career connecting vulnerable neighbors with housing at King County Housing, her father who fought for equity in South Seattle parks as a longtime employee at Seattle Parks, and her grandmother, Dorothy Hollingsworth, who was a fierce advocate for families and opportunity.”
“Alex was born in Redmond and raised on a small family farm in unincorporated east King County. A cancer survivor, she lives with her partner and is the legal guardian of an 8th grader in the public school system,” Hudson’s website says.
“Alex’s family are renters and live happily car-free. A first-generation college graduate, she worked her way through school at Western Washington University, where she founded the ACLU-WA student club, was the Director of the Associated Students Drug Information Center, and was named the ‘2008 Associated Student Employee of the Year’ and the ‘2008 ACLU-WA Youth Activist of the Year.’”
Here are the initial results for this contest:
 | Joy Hollingsworth Nonpartisan | 6,086 votes | 40.15% |
 | Alex Hudson Nonpartisan | 4,914 votes | 32.41% |
 | Bobby Goodwin Nonpartisan | 1,697 votes | 11.19% |
 | Alex Cooley Nonpartisan | 658 votes | 4.34% |
 | Efrain Hudnell Nonpartisan | 647 votes | 4.27% |
 | Andrew Ashiofu Nonpartisan | 557 votes | 3.67% |
 | Ry Armstrong Nonpartisan | 284 votes | 1.87% |
 | Shobhit Agarwal Nonpartisan | 246 votes | 1.62% |
District #4
The 4th District includes the University District, Roosevelt, Ravenna, Laurelhurst, and Windermere. It is currently represented by Councilmember Alex Pedersen, who decided not to seek reelection.
Four candidates filed to be Pedersen’s successor: Ron Davis, Maritza Rivera, Ken Wilson, and George Artem. Wilson previously ran against Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda two years ago for an at-large position. He came up short, but gained name familiarity and valuable connections during the course of his campaign. But his admission that he voted for Republican Tiffany Smiley might have been viewed by a number of District #4 voters as disqualifying.
Davis was endorsed by The Stranger / PubliCola / The Urbanist trifecta, while Rivera was endorsed by The Seattle Times.
“I’m running because I learned it takes too much luck to make it in America,” Davis says on his campaign website. “I am one of the few that got lucky and I want to pay it forward so that the next person has a real shot, and to make sure we take good care of people who aren’t so lucky.”
“I got involved in neighborhood improvement through local activism and the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association, and supporting kids, seniors and families through the YMCA; in transit advocacy through work with Sound Transit and Seattle Subway, and statewide environmental activism through Futurewise,” Davis explains. “I lobbied our businesses to take a more progressive view on taxes and labor and public safety. I showed up and testified, wrote opeds, organized and door knocked, and picketed and marched.”
“A mom of two teenage daughters, Maritza Rivera will never forget the hours waiting and worrying outside Ingraham High School as her girls were in lockdown after a student was fatally shot inside,” Rivera says on her campaign website.
“At that moment, Maritza knew she had to take action. She never expected to run for political office, but Maritza is running for City Council to restore Seattle to the safe and vibrant city she moved to more than two decades ago.”
“Maritza’s parents moved from Puerto Rico to New York in search of a better life. Maritza grew up in a tough neighborhood in the Bronx, on the 5th floor of a five story no elevator building. Her dad was a welder and proud union member, her mom worked at a factory.”
Here are the initial results for this contest:
 | Ron Davis Nonpartisan | 5,432 votes | 40.9% |
 | Maritza Rivera Nonpartisan | 4,519 votes | 34.03% |
 | Ken Wilson Nonpartisan | 3,019 votes | 22.73% |
 | George Artem Nonpartisan | 284 votes | 2.14% |
District #5
The 5th District is Seattle’s northernmost district, encompassing neighborhoods like Northgate and Haller Lake. It is currently represented by Councilmember Debora Juarez, who decided not to run again. A large field of candidates emerged to pursue the open seat. Three of them are above or near twenty percent in early returns: Cathy Moore, ChrisTiana ObeySumner, and Nilu Jenks.
Moore has a plurality lead with almost a third of the vote. ObeySumner is currently in second place with 21.38%. Close behind is Nilu Jenks, at 19.04%. The gap between ObeySumner and Jenks is only three hundred votes, so Jenks is definitely positioned to compete for a second place spot in the late ballots.
Moore was endorsed by The Seattle Times; ObeySumner was endorsed by The Stranger. The Urbanist and PubliCola went with Jenks.
“As a single mother, my mother raised me in Lake City and Capitol Hill while working her way through the University of Washington and later teaching community college students for three decades,” Moore writes on her website.
“I followed in her footsteps in public service. Fresh out of law school, I fought for Seattle residents as a public defender with the Seattle Defender Association, and later, fought for children and families as a family law attorney. As Chair of the Seattle Human Rights Commission, I advocated for constitutional policing and accountability for the Seattle Police Department. As Interim City Clerk, I oversaw the legislative operations of the Seattle City Council.”
“My greatest privilege was serving as an elected King County Superior Court Judge, where I served, without fear or favor, all in our community. In addition to ruling in criminal, family law, and mental illness trials, I upheld Attorney General Ferguson’s lawsuit against Pharma Purdue, a case that eventually resulted in a landmark settlement to fund opioid treatment. Committed to racial justice, I also worked on criminal legal system reform.”
“I was born in Alaska in 1986 to a single mother,” ObeySumner (they/them) writes. “Growing up, my family faced financial struggles and disability challenges. As a Black, economically disadvantaged, and non-verbal child, I had difficulty attending school, as special education services were not well-established prior to passage of the American Disabilities Act in 1990. Despite testing high, I did not qualify for services, and lacked diagnoses for learning disabilities. My mother and I were often unhoused, moving frequently, and I was often exiled from classes.”
“I am also the former co-chair of the Seattle Disabilities commission, and former co-chair of the Seattle Renter’s commission. I have also previously or currently serve as a member or lay-leader on the following boards: the King County Transit Mobility Council, The Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, The Seattle University African American Alumni Association, and the King County Board for Developmental Disabilities Legislative Council.”
“Nilu Jenks is a dedicated community advocate who loves to engage with and serve her community,” Jenks says on her website.
“As a second-generation Iranian-American whose family was granted asylum in the United States, Nilu has directly benefited from the freedoms our nation grants us, and she will forever be a dedicated fighter to protect those freedoms for others. Having experienced marginalization in society, she will work hard to realize the ideals of our nation for the benefit of all of her constituents.”
“As a Board Member of Roosevelt Alumni for Racial Equity, Nilu co-wrote a racial equity curriculum to be facilitated after school by the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle at Roosevelt and Garfield High Schools beginning this spring. Nilu was a PTA Advocacy Chair for John Rogers Elementary School and has served as a Learning Coach for ELL students at Mercer Middle School. A mother of two, Nilu has invested her energies in improving local schools and working for the success of all children, and she will be a strong advocate for families when on City Council.”
Here are the initial results for this contest:
 | Cathy Moore Nonpartisan | 4,137 votes | 32.26% |
 | ChrisTiana ObeySumner Nonpartisan | 2,741 votes | 21.38% |
 | Nilu Jenks Nonpartisan | 2,441 votes | 19.04% |
 | Justin Simmons Nonpartisan | 1,524 votes | 11.89% |
 | Tye Reed Nonpartisan | 553 votes | 4.31% |
 | Boegart Bibby Nonpartisan | 535 votes | 4.17% |
 | Bobby J Tucker Nonpartisan | 279 votes | 2.18% |
 | Rebecca Williamson Nonpartisan | 216 votes | 1.68% |
 | Shane Macomber Nonpartisan | 200 votes | 1.56% |
 | Lucca Murdoch Howard Nonpartisan | 130 votes | 1.01% |
District #6
The 6th District includes Ballard, Green Lake, Phinney Ridge, and a swath of Magnolia. It is currently represented by Councilmember Dan Strauss, who is seeking reelection. Strauss is opposed by five challengers, all of whom are in the single digits except for Pete Hanning, who is garnering almost 30% of the vote.
Given their dominance, it’s a pretty safe assumption that Hanning will be Strauss’ general election opponent. Hanning was endorsed by The Seattle Times, while Strauss earned the support of The Stranger and The Urbanist.
“I was born and raised in Ballard and my parents, both social workers, raised me with a sense of community,” Strauss writes on his website. “Our neighbors were school teachers, welders, plumbers, electricians, and fishermen. We are at a time of change in our city, another rebirth. Over the last decade we have grown into a large city, and now we have a moment to truly remake our downtown and make our neighborhoods even more vibrant. This work is already underway: the proof-of-concepts have already been tested, the prototypes are currently being used, and now we are scaling these plans city and District 6 wide.”
“In my first six months in office I responded to an international pandemic, a recession, a national civil rights reckoning, and civil unrest. For most people just one of these events would knock them down, and I work every day to bridge differences, solve intractable problems, and reset our city’s foundation for a brighter future – to be the gem of the Northwest and nation.”
“For the last thirty-five years, I have been a leader in the nightlife/hospitality industry. I owned the Red Door in Fremont for twenty years,” Pete Hanning writes on his website. “My experience as a small business owner has honed my ability to solve problems and provide service to others.”
“I’ve been civically engaged throughout my career, with a focus on improving public safety and supporting small businesses. I’ve served on many boards, including the Fremont Neighborhood Council, the North Precinct Advisory Council, the Fremont Chamber of Commerce, the Seattle Restaurant Alliance, and the Washington Restaurant/Hospitality Association. I helped form the Seattle Restaurant Alliance and the Seattle Nightlife & Music Association.”
“I am currently Executive Director for the Fremont Chamber of Commerce. I believe the small businesses increase the quality of life of our community and form a key part of the fabric of our shared neighborhoods. I will always champion these small businesses and businesses throughout Seattle.”
Here are the initial results for this contest:
 | Dan Strauss Nonpartisan | 8,754 votes | 50.77% |
 | Pete Hanning Nonpartisan | 5,106 votes | 29.61% |
 | Shea Wilson Nonpartisan | 1,139 votes | 6.61% |
 | Victoria Palmer Nonpartisan | 850 votes | 4.93% |
 | Dale Kutzera Nonpartisan | 786 votes | 4.56% |
 | Jon Lisbin Nonpartisan | 515 votes | 2.99% |
District #7
The 7th District encompasses Downtown, Queen Anne, Interbay, South Lake Union, and part of Magnolia. It is represented by Councilmember Andrew Lewis, who has decided to seek reelection. Lewis has five opponents, three of whom are currently in the single digits. His likely general election opponent is Bob Kettle, who has almost a third of the vote. Further back is another challenger, Olga Sagan, with a little over fourteen percent of the vote.
Of the three incumbents seeking reelection, Lewis looks the most vulnerable. Whereas Strauss has a majority of the vote and Morales is close to fifty percent, Lewis is just shy of 41%. That means almost six out of ten Top Two voters in his district voted for someone else to represent them on the City Council.
Lewis was endorsed by The Stranger and The Urbanist.
Kettle, the second place finisher, was endorsed by The Seattle Times.
“Councilmember Andrew Lewis proudly represents District 7 including the neighborhoods of Magnolia, Interbay, Uptown, Queen Anne, West Lake, South Lake Union, Belltown, Downtown, and Pioneer Square,” his website says. “Throughout his first term in office Councilmember Lewis has focused on bringing people together to solve Seattle’s biggest challenges from housing insecurity and homelessness, to public safety, and the exigent crisis of global climate change.”
“In 2021, Councilmember Lewis worked with the Third Door Coalition, an alliance of small businesses and service providers, to pass legislation dramatically bringing down the cost of permanent supportive housing by an average of over $47,753 per-unit. Later that same year, Councilmember Lewis brought together leaders from the Downtown Seattle Association, service providers, and the Chamber of Commerce to dramatically expand JustCARE, an outreach and transitional housing program responsible for resolving some of the toughest encampments in Seattle.”
“Bob Kettle is a distinguished former Naval officer with a decade of experience volunteering with non-profit organizations,” his website says. “Bob is currently a stay-at-home-dad and civic leader, having served on the Queen Anne Community Council board for the past eight years, including as Chair of the Public Safety Committee. Bob also served on the West Precinct Advisory Council and the Queen Anne Block Watch Network, working on neighborhood-level public safety.”
“His extensive community involvement includes the 36th LD Democrats, World Affairs Council Seattle, Ballard Eagleson VFW Post 3063, Society of White House Military Aides, and Veterans for Patty Murray. Bob is part of the St. Anne’s community on Queen Anne and, in his spare time, has coached girls’ youth soccer.”
Here are the initial results for this contest:
 | Andrew J Lewis Nonpartisan | 4,894 votes | 40.9% |
 | Bob Kettle Nonpartisan | 3,947 votes | 32.99% |
 | Olga Sagan Nonpartisan | 1,689 votes | 14.12% |
 | Aaron Marshall Nonpartisan | 862 votes | 7.2% |
 | Isabelle Kerner Nonpartisan | 342 votes | 2.86% |
 | Wade Sowders Nonpartisan | 199 votes | 1.66% |
The next drop is tomorrow
In Seattle, late ballots can really shake things up. We’ll keep an eye on these contests and bring you analysis of any interesting developments. The 5th District appears to be the place where there is the greatest potential for a lead change.
