Endorsements stack up as Seattle voters weigh candidates for mayor, city attorney and City Council

Try this puzzle: What is US Senator Elizabeth Warren saying to the Sailors Union of the Pacific? and five former Seattle mayors have in common?

Answer: You supported all candidates in the Seattle elections on November 2nd.

Dozens of other politicians, unions, companies, advocacy groups, media and community leaders have also participated in hopes of influencing the results of the races for mayor, city attorney and councilor.

Advertised on campaign mailers, TV spots, courtyard signs and websites, endorsements can reassure voters – or make them think. Now is the time for the picks to strike a blow, with the voting deadline less than a week away.

Mayor race

Warren supported M. Lorena González in her mayoral campaign with Bruce Harrell, as did another East Coast progressive Senator, Bernie Sanders.

In his vicinity, González is supported by other politicians, including US MP Pramila Jayapal, Senator Rebecca Saldaña, State Representative Nicole Macri, Former Mayor Mike McGinn and City Councilor Teresa Mosqueda.

González, the current president of the council, boasts support for the labor movement, including the Martin Luther King Jr. County Labor Council; the teamsters; and unions representing hotel, supermarket, health and security personnel.

González is also supported by the King County Democrats, six factions of the Legislative Democratic Party, Planned Parenthood, the Sierra Club Seattle, Washington Conservation Voters, and immigration rights group OneAmerica.

Harrell is supported by US Representatives Marilyn Strickland and Adam Smith; former Governor Gary Locke; and former Mayors Norm Rice, Greg Nickels, Charles Royer and Wes Uhlman.

Harrell, a former council president whose last year was in town hall in 2019, is also supported by politicians like Senator Reuven Carlyle, MP Sharon Tomiko Santos and City Council member Debora Juarez.

Its labor support includes unions representing firefighters, transport workers, power line workers, iron workers and plumbers.

Harrell is highly rated by the business-minded Downtown Seattle Association and endorsed by the Washington Technology Industry Association.

Among the mayoral candidates knocked out in the August 3 primaries, Andrew Grant Houston supported González, while Jessyn Farrell, Casey Sixkiller, Art Langlie and Lance Randall supported Harrell. Colleen Echohawk has not endorsed this, nor has current Mayor Jenny Durkan.

The Stranger assisted González, while the Seattle Times editorial team assisted Harrell (the Times news department is independent from the editorial team).

The unions have spent about $ 1 million on González and against Harrell through an independent political action committee. A PAC funded primarily by individuals, including a number of large funders associated with the real estate industry, has spent more than $ 1 million on Harrell and against González.

City attorney race

Nicole Thomas-Kennedy and Ann Davison combined acting city attorney Pete Holmes in the primary.

Thomas-Kennedy, a former public defender, is backed by the King County Democrats and seven factions of the Legislative Democratic Party, as well as the Seattle Democratic Socialists of America, Planned Parenthood and The Stranger.

She is also supported by the MLK works council; the teamsters; and unions representing carpenters, painters, healthcare workers and security guards.

Her individual endorsements include Saldaña, State Representative Kirsten Harris-Talley, King County Councilor Girmay Zahilay, McGinn, Mosqueda, Alderman Tammy Morales, and former Alderman Mike O’Brien. González and Mosqueda have announced they will vote for Thomas-Kennedy and more than 200 local lawyers have signed a letter of support.

Davison, an attorney who has served as an arbitrator for the past several years, is supported by the political arm of the Seattle Hotel Association and the Seattle Restaurant Alliance, as well as the editorial staff of the Seattle Times.

They are supported by the building trade council and unions representing firefighters, cement masons and iron workers.

People who support Davison include three former governors (Locke, Christine Gregoire and Dan Evans) and three former mayors (Nickels, Royer and Uhlman), as well as former city council member Richard Conlin and former city attorney Mark Sidran. Thirty retired judges from the region have signed a letter of support.

The Washington Coalition of Minority Legal Professionals has rated Thomas-Kennedy as “Fair” and Davison as “Unqualified”. A PAC funded in large part by corporate executives has issued against Thomas-Kennedy.

City Council Race

The two seats of the council are available for election. In the race for position 8, Mosqueda is supported by an overwhelming number of trade unions, environmental groups and groups from the Democratic Party. The incumbent is also supported by many local elected officials as well as Sanders and Jayapal.

Kenneth Wilson, a bridge engineer, doesn’t list recommendations on his campaign website, but the website does have recommendations from several customers. Kate Martin, who finished third in the area code in 8th place, is a supporter.

In the race for position 9, which González vacates, lawyer and nonprofit chair Nikkita Oliver is supported by organizations such as the Seattle Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, the Democratic Party groups for the 11th and 43rd legislative districts, Planned Parenthood, Sierra Club Seattle, Washington Conservation Voters and OneAmerica, and The Stranger.

Oliver’s work recommendations include the MLK work council; the teamsters; and unions for teachers, painters, carpenters and general practitioners as well as for hotel, supermarket, health and security personnel.

People who support Oliver include Jayapal, Saldaña, Mosqueda, Harris-Talley, Zahilay, writer Ijeoma Oluo, and youth program director Sean Goode.

The Fremont brewery owner Sara Nelson competes against Oliver. It is endorsed by the Seattle Hotel Association / Seattle Restaurant Alliance political arm, highly rated by the Downtown Seattle Association, and endorsed by the editorial staff of the Seattle Times.

Her work recommendations include the construction trade council and unions representing firefighters, plumbers, workers and powerline workers, and the Sailors Union of the Pacific.

Nelson’s supporters include Locke, Evans, Carlyle, Walden, Alderman Alex Pedersen and restaurateurs Maria Hines and Ethan Stowell.

PACs funded by real estate agents, firefighters, and business prospects have spent on Nelson’s side. A PAC funded by unions and organizations affiliated with entrepreneur Nick Hanauer has spent money on Oliver.

Resources for voting in the 2021 general election

For more information on voting, ballot boxes, accessible voting and online voting slips, please contact your district election office. The ballot papers are due on November 2nd at 8 p.m.

For more information on your voting slip, visit each district at: myvote.wa.gov

Daniel Beekmann:
206-464-2164 or dbeekman@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @dbeekman. Seattle Times reporter Daniel Beekman covers the Seattle city council and local politics.