Incumbent Bruce Harrell and Katie Wilson are running in the November 4 general election for mayor of Seattle. In the Aug. 5 primary, Wilson defeated Harrell 48.1% to 43.6%.

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.”

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.

Wilson is the co-founder and executive director of the Seattle-based Transit Riders Union. Wilson’s campaign website said she would “open 4,000 new units of emergency housing and shelter in four years” and support policies challenging the Trump Administration. The King County Democrats, the Transit Riders Union, and the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 3000 (UCFW 3000) endorsed Wilson. As of August 28, Wilson raised $640,000 and spent $444,000.

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 he would prioritize “a transportation system focused on safety, sidewalks, road infrastructure, bus and light rail,” and support policies challenging the Trump Administration. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson (D), Attorney General Nick Brown (D), and U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D) endorsed Harrell. As of August 28, Harrell raised $713,000 and spent $439,000.

Both candidates also listed public safety and housing as priorities on their campaign websites.

On Sept. 11, 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 policies of the Trump Administration.

One topic that the candidates differ on is funding for the city’s new social housing developer. Seattle voters also approved three ballot measures in February 2025, including Proposition 1A, a citizen initiative that established a new tax to fund the city’s new social housing developer. Proposition 1A appeared on the ballot along with Proposition 1B, which the Seattle City Council and the mayor referred to the ballot as an alternative measure. Proposition 1B would have used existing payroll expense tax revenues from the next five annual budgets to fund the social housing developer. Voters approved Proposition 1A and defeated Proposition 1B 63.1%-36.9%. Wilson has supported Proposition 1A, while Harrell supported Proposition 1B.

During the debate, Wilson said, “Seattle voters have twice told us now overwhelmingly that they want the city to build permanantly-affordable, publicly-owned, mixed-income housing. Most recently in February with the Prop 1A vote. … Bruce was the face of the opposition to that campaign funded by Amazon, Microsoft, and the Chamber of Commerce. It is very important that we get this project right. We have a new social housing developer. There are complicated issues of governance and financing that need to be put together in the right way for this to be successful. People around the country are looking at this experiment in Seattle and seeing whether it’s going to be successful or not. We need city leadership that’s going to find to make it work. And Harrell, not just in his support of the opposition campaign, but in other things that he’s done over the last couple years as mayor has done nothing but try to undermine that project.”

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 as we’re hemorrhaging. When you see businesses out of business [in] downtown Seattle that hurts us. That’s how we fill potholes, that’s how we feed the hungry. So we supported it. …Their campaign has spread misinformation that we never suported the model. The fact of the matter is that it is an unproven, untested model. And we believe that it can work and it should work… My administration has done everything possible to make sure they succeed… But we wanted it paid for differently.”