(Image: Re-elect Sara Nelson)
The two most powerful voices in Seattle City Hall are off to early starts defending their offices.
Last week, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced he will seek a second term, launching his reelection campaign with themes around “common values,” “public safety solutions,” and “proven leadership to stand up for our values.”
This week, Seattle City Council president and at-large representative Sara Nelson said she, too, will seek reelection with an “it’s happening” announcement.
Calling herself the “commonsense champion,” Nelson said her re-election campaign will continue her role as the leader on “pragmatic, compassionate solutions to Seattle’s toughest challenges.”
“When I took office, public confidence in the City Council was at an all-time low. Years of performative, hyper-ideological decisions had pushed Seattle in the wrong direction on public safety—leading to rising crime, street disorder, and encampments taking over our public spaces,” Nelson says in the announcement. “I was elected with a clear directive: to refocus Seattle’s progressive values on delivering real results—prioritizing safety, livability, and a city that works for everyone, not just political theater.”
CHS reported here in 2021 as the former Fremont Brewing owner announced her first campaign for the council.
Nelson’s second run for the council comes amid criticism from outgoing Councilmember Tammy Morales over what the District 2 representative says is a toxic environment of politics fostered by Nelson at City Hall.
Nelson is launching her re-election campaign with endorsements including Congressman Adam Smith.
2025 promises to be a busy political season in Seattle. In addition to the race for the mayor’s office and Nelson’s citywide seat, voters will also be considering who should lead the county. King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay appears to be clear frontrunner with endorsements from newly elected Governor Bob Ferguson, and Attorney General-elect Nick Brown.
Voters will start the year with a decision on a new Seattle Social Housing payroll tax in February.
Nelson’s year will begin with leading the process to appoint a replacement for Morales — the second year in a row the council will spend January filling an empty seat. Who will serve the remainder of the District 2 term after this year will also be decided on the November ballot.
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She is more disliked than Woo. She’s DONE
Evidence, please. I think she has lots of support from Seattleites who aren’t far-left, which makes up a strong majority.
You must have missed AMR’s all time vote-getting history just made at the citywide position
https://www.reddit.com/r/Seattle/comments/1hionlf/ten_times_sara_nelson_engaged_in_the_performative/
Evidence here… everyone hates her lol
Yeah, I hate her too…lol
I am 100% voting this vindictive, spiteful clown show out of office.
Let’s not forget some of the causes she championed:
Forced workers back into the office 5 days a week
Roll back renter protections (winter evictions, rent increases)
Roll back the minimum wage
Roll back gig worker protections
Stealing money from the jumpstart tax
Subsidize housing, child care, college tuition for cops with tax payer money
Roll back all police accountability efforts and give them huge raises while huge budget deficit looms
Abolish all homeless outreach
This is not about politics for me. It’s about values.
Forced workers back into the office 5 days a week!?
That sounds dreadful!!
It does to all the neighborhoods that benefited from their being home and not spending money and time downtown.
Many of the items on your list haven’t taken place, much less been championed by Ms. Nelson.
That may be fact?
But it is ALSO fact that NONE OF THEM should be on the list. The voters didn’t vote for it. They stole the money for their pet wishes. They had no revenue for them. They simply took it from the poor.
And you know it. Yet? Here you are, still.
Which ones haven’t either happened or been championed by Nelson?
Wouldn’t the fact that many of these that she’s “championed” haven’t happened make them “political theater” as she calls it? Looking at you gig worker protections, minimum wage rollbacks, subsidized housing the police, and the not on this list but popular unrealistic virtue signaling of hiring 500 police?
Her and the conservative supermajority promised us we would go from 900 to 1400 police, but despite massive raises, hiring bonuses, and rolling back accountability, Seattle lost more officers than it gained in 2024, and now only has 848?
so if a seperate minimum wage is suggested yet fail? That doesn’t count?
I wish she had forced city employees to actually work…
Like people who post during work hours????
Totally fine with that if they’re in an office working instead of napping at home
hey butch, go take a walk and smell the flowers…your obsession with the blog is unhealthy, bro
stole green energy money too
Nelson has provided excellent leadership on the council and deserves to be re-elected. It is refreshing to have someone with common sense steering the ship after years of disastrous policies enacted by activists, zealots, and ideologues with no f*cking clue how to run a city or solve problems. Morales was the last of the old clowncil. Good riddance. It’s says a lot about her character that she left in a whaaabulence after only a year of being in the minority.
Wow, this isn’t even remotely disguised from her election team. It’s clearly copy/paste from a messaging doc.
They are enjoying bragging about all the neeto things they are doing. And not mentioning it’s all being done with progressive revenue brought in by the voters via the progressive council.
These people are evil.
“‘Not just political theater’
What a load of crap. Liars all of them.
“Clowncil” I smell a KOMO commenter
Not really. I detest KOMO but am all for the term “clowncil.” They fucked this city over the last 10 years.
Meh..The revenue was raised by the progressives and the RINO’s steal it and beg to make that permanent. Rather than find the revenue themselves? They stole it and claim they are Seattle’s saviors when the reality is they are self dealing.
They are using the revenue to pay for programs and policies initiated by the previous Council. That was the Council that overspent and thought the answer to everything was taxing somebody else. Not unlike the majority of those who comment on this blog, I must say.
The same council who for 12 years had president Harrell? The current mayor? That one?
Pors law in effect: was the juxtaposition between your username and message intentionally ironic/sayirical?
Hello,
Reality is currently out of the office and will not return until the fever subsides.
Ah crap..I am too late! I had something else to say.
Lemme know when the “reality returns” so I can duck and cover.
IKR…And it’s constant diarrhea.
Those “ disastrous policies enacted by activists, zealots, and ideologues with no f*cking clue how to run a city or solve problems.”
Funded all the things these RINO’s want. That 250 million came from progressive revenues. THIS COUNCIL WANTS TO MAKE IT PERMANENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Meaning your council LOVES progressive revenue! They just steal it instead of vote for it. And you love that. Business first. The voters last. 350 million dollars worth.
Reality? Pffft…Makay…add very large ego and lack of sense of self because you have no “f*cking clue how to run a city or solve problems.”
Sara Nelson is the best thing to happen to the city council in some time. Her leadership and vision are pointing Seattle in the right direction and putting us on a path to address the most important issues the city is currently facing around public safety and livability.
Will Sawant’s cadre of hardcore leftists like the fact that she running for re-election? No. No they will not. And they will make it loudly known. Fortunately they do not represent the majority opinion of constituents.
“livability”…Odd…”Affordability” is the issue for the poor. AKA the majority of us.
Your version steals hundreds of millions from the poor.
Our version does the opposite.
The fact you people are so proud is disgusting really. YOU STOLE THE MONEY FOR IT ALL FROM THE PROGRESSIVES YOU DESPISE.
And that makes you feel good. Going against the will of the voters is good as long as your agree. See how that is in reality? You people are truly amazing in your ignorance and the cruelty that flows from it. As well as simple greed. None of it has to do with solving your own problems. You steal from others to do it.
Pathetic bullies is all I see.
With Shaun Scott out of the picture, which moronic
Socialist Alternativeprogressive candidate run against her?I would take a socialist over her stupid ass any day
Hi Derek! Well of course you would! You didn’t even need to tell us that! Hope you are well.
and you needed to tell us that? hmmm…look in the mirror bud
Oh gawd never! My child was assaulted by a drug user in the park, Sawant took the side of the drug user…
really? Any evidence? Police report I can find? News article? Anything? I am lost there.
Do not insult me or my family…and I’m not going to share the police report with you; I wouldn’t want to get harassed by you…why are you lost here? My son, in the park with me, walked too close to the tent this individual was living in and doing drugs in…needles on the ground, smoke coming out, and this individual came after my son, half-naked, yelling to get the F*** away from here! He then ran after my son to scare him. I called the cops, but this was 2021, and guess what? They were not responding to calls like this. Our CM Sawant was useless and told me to be more compassionate for people who are experiencing mental illness. This was not about me not having compassion; it was the safety of my family. Why was this individual allowed to live in the park and sell drugs there…we live nearby and saw the constant flow of drug traffic. Sawant was AWFUL! Joy is incredible, a breath of fresh air…I’m concerned with the hate that she receives, and I begin to think it is racism. She is a BIOPC female, and the “white” Sawant lovers can’t stand that.
Joy Hollingsworth is a business before people clown show. And an idiot too. Her tweets about her trip in Denmark was hilariously dumb
Today on “Things that never happened”
Wow… Your dismissal of people’s legitimate concerns, to the point of even calling them liars is probably pushing more people to more conservative candidates than anything the candidates themselves say or do…
It is not unreasonable for anyone to want a safe, clean place to live.
Socialists and progressives are two different things.As far as moronic candidate is concerned, the position is open, SM.
Counterpoint: Other than the posts on this website and Stranger writers: every one that I have know is behind Harrell and Nelson. Just another point of view.
Limited anecdotal “evidence”.
Is that what it sounds like in your silo?
That’s a shame.
Cute that your silo likes Nelson. You must have also missed AMR’s resounding victory.
AMR seems totally reasonable. Definitely not a Sawantista.
Thank you Sara Nelson for putting up with all you put up with. You have one of the hardest jobs in Seattle. I appreciate your work.
Putting up with what? Being a rich business owner and sweeping homeless to 12th and Jackson? She’s the worst. She’s despicable and hates poor people with a passion I’ve never seen.
Or maybe not. I guess you’re very upset and I hope things get better for you soon. I don’t think people were “swept” to 12th and Jackson. If you have more info would like to know. I am concerned they will be “swept” to my local QFC where I recently almost got punched in the head by one of the druggies outside just trying to buy some effin dinner. Oh well.
Or you could get stabbed to death riding the bus. Oh, I forgot, that was the bus driver. No need to worry about it if you’re a passenger. As if.
Really? Who is affordable housing for? Rich people?
They stole 100’s of millions from housing and clean energy. So business can have it their way w/o voting for their own revenue. Because the poor always get money and it’s easy to steal. Thus 50 years flat wages for one example.
People with self interest love our RINO council.
Maintaining callousness in public is an extremely wearing job.
She’s the best! And yes, continue the sweeps. 12th and Jackson is awful and hurting the Asian community. She doesn’t hate poor people…she doesn’t like crime, there is a difference!
really? Then why steal 100’s of millions from affordable housing and try to make it permanent?
I wonder if all of the people at 12th and Jackson are interested in affordable housing, yeah I think not. They are concreted with drug use, stolen goods, breaking into local businesses. So what’s your point here? Shall I get some of the very small, family owned asian businesses and talk about this? Or do they not matter to you?
She’s sweeping TO 12th and Jackson… how is that solving anything but making 12th and Jackson worse?
Hope she sees this bro?
Both of these candidates do the bidding of their big downtown corporate real estate donors. They ignore neighborhoods and people and put the interests of big tech big money first. They pushed RTO mandates to save their own business interests. Like many voices here, I was fed up with the all-talk show clowns on the council in the past but these two are just as bad in a different way — corrupt and self-dealing.
Never Her – She is a Liar & a Fraud
She is our own El Trumpito, she hates workers and people, plus her beer sucks.
Mkay….I have made a song
Aye yai yai yai…I am a stealing that saying El Trumpito pito pito…El TrummmPITOHHHHHHH.
I am stealing it…lol
Hahaha
“‘Not just political theater’”
When that’s the first sentence? It is in fact just that. And the Kabuki dance is not really a disquiet. It’s a symptom.
Then someone says
“‘Not just political theater’” and uses a glamour shot?
It is in fact a kabuki.