How Seattle’s Katie Wilson Launched Her Mayoral Campaign as a Social Movement

By entering the electoral evening of the candidate for the town hall of Seattle, Katie Wilson, I recognized very few people. Standard traditional democratic carriers all lacked. In their place there was a crowd of 20, 30 and 40 years old, all excited and inspired by a candidate who spoke their language and lived their lives. Throughout the night, this has become an increasingly large exercise of power, a new progressive pragmatic political power.

Six months ago, the current mayor of Seattle, Bruce Harrell, was on the way to re -election. He had locked the union support, the mentions of the Democrats at all levels of the governor to the Pramila Jayapal representative, as well as commercial support. Bruce was and is a transactional democrat, compromised and “means” – to present himself to Amazon and to the Seattle Chamber of Commerce as much as to real voters. But two events made it trip: the inauguration of Donald Trump and a Seattle voting initiative in February for social housing funded by a tax on excess companies. Bruce made the tender of Microsoft and Amazon and campaigned against the social housing initiative, with his face on all the opposition leaflets. The result? It seems that the voters are angry with Trump, the oligarchs and with Harrell to stand with them.

This election made Katie Wilson think that someone should challenge Bruce Harrell, and why not her? Katie lives in an apartment in a room with her husband and her 2 year old daughter. She does not have a car. For several years, her salary was so low that she qualified for Medicaid. And during these precarious years of work for economic security for others when she had little, Katie was responsible for the organization of minimum wage increases in the Grand Seattle. She founded the Transit Riders Union and obtained a free transit for students from kindergarten to 12th year and low -income residents from Seattle. She has the author of the start -up tax on companies calculated as a percentage of the total wages of more than $ 200,000.

Katie therefore launched her campaign as a social movement. She relied on the unique democracy vouchers of Seattle, through which each adult resident can contribute up to $ 100, from a city fund to candidates they support. With vouchers, Katie even stayed with the mayor. And even if Harrell appreciated spending outside of PAC, Katie collected more than 50% of the votes, leaving Harrell behind at 42%. Just like in the Big Apple, it’s not over yet, with Katie and Bruce Harrell in the general elections, thanks to the Washington Top two electoral system, by which the first two main voters – objects are advancing, whatever the party.

This election sent more signals for and younger voters, unhappy and financially stressed. The only member of the progressive municipal council, Alexis Mercedes Rinkk, a former 30 -year -old waitress (familiar sound?), Won with 78%. The current president of the municipal council, who tried last year to retreat the minimum wage for concert workers, lost 22% against a progressive head of policy. The republican prosecutor also lost 22% against a former progressive federal prosecutor, Erika Evans, who refused to work for the Ministry of Justice Trump. Even a member of the Sitting School Board, who is the political director of the trade of the Seattle Chamber, was beaten by a little -known young mother.

Precariate has shown its weight around Puget Sound. In the race for the mayor in Tacoma, Anders Ibsen, a former supporter of paid disease days and minimum wage increases, easily exceeded – at 20% – the second candidate supported by real estate agents and owners of apartments. In Bellevue, the Senator of the Progressive Democratic State beat a business democrat from two to one. In a battlefield district, a newly appointed progressive democratic state senator directs a republican of four terms.

In the Grand Seattle, Girmay Zahilay, is the main candidate for the county of King, with 44% of the votes. Girmay was born in a refugee camp in Sudan and came to Washington in the age of 3. Girmay wants to create social housing for King County workers. His opponent of the general elections will be Claudia Balducci, a centrist democrat, who received 30%.

The voters of Seattle and Puget Sound surrounding are angry and rebel against Donald Trump and his oligarchs and allied societies. These voters oppose capitalism of cronyism. They fear the fence of the fence of fascism. They also reject the transactional policy of the democratic establishment and the camouflaged supporters (or not) of Trump and those who look in the other direction. These workers’ professionals do not wait to get up – they vote and save our democracy.