Harrell, González lead in low-turnout Seattle mayoral primary | News

(The Center Square) – Early vote counts have passed Seattle’s mayoral campaign to two past and present faces of Seattle City Council who will succeed Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan.

Based on Wednesday’s voting list, former Seattle City Council President and former Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell led the field with 38% of the vote. He stays ahead of the Seattle City Council meeting President Lorena Gonzálezwho took home 29% of the vote on Wednesday afternoon. The two are the only candidates in the crowded race to hit double digits when polling stations closed on Tuesday night.

Harrell, who served as Seattle Mayor for five days in September 2017 following the resignation of former Mayor Ed Murray, has cited “Compassion Seattle” as the leitmotif for his campaign. The former corporate attorney has called for more police on the streets of Seattle and expressed support for resuming the homeless search.

In an election held as a referendum on police protests last summer, Harrell came under fire for his steadfast advocacy for the Seattle Police Department. Earlier this spring, Harrell’s reform proposals included officials watching the video of George Floyd’s murder and signing a non-binding pledge to uphold racial justice. That earned him little support from civil rights activists, although his promise to “clean up” downtown Seattle and tackle vandalism has endeared him to business leaders and a variety of state lawmakers.

To date, Harrell has received approval from more than a dozen Washington lawmakers, including Senator Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, who chairs the Committee on Law and Justice. Former Seattle mayors Wes Uhlman and Norm Rice have also thrown their support behind Harrell.

“I’m full of energy and excited about the results tonight,” said Harrell. “The message of our campaign of unity, accountability and action resonated with the electorate. I look forward to bringing that energy to the general election and mayor as we unite Seattle for real progress. “

González, the daughter of two migrant farm workers in Yakima County, has hailed her candidacy as a progressive upheaval for Seattle at a time when the housing crisis and police policy are coming under attack from all sides. Elected to the City Council in 2015, she has been Council President since January 2020 when she succeeded Harrell.

“Tonight’s results show that we have a very good chance of moving through to November when all the ballots are counted,” wrote González in a statement. “We respect every vote and will not anticipate the outcome, but one thing is clear: Seattle voters are sending a strong message for change.”

A supporter of the city “Amazon” tax González, who voted to approve the Amazon headquarters in downtown Seattle, is a supporter of green transportation and the expansion of the city’s bus and bike routes.

She is a critic of Compassion Seattle, a controversial one Charter change That would require the city to build homes for its 5,500+ homeless people with no clear source of funding. In 2020 she voted for the Searches of homeless camps from the police.

González is also supported by two-time presidential candidate US Senator Bernie Sanders, D-Vermont, and US MP Pramila Jayapal, D-Seattle.

Other notable candidates running for mayor this year were architect Andrew Grant Houston, Former Deputy Mayor of Seattle, Casey Sixkiller, Philanthropist Colleen Echohawk, former state lawmaker Jessyn Farrell and former Seattle Economic Development Manager Lance Randall.

As of Wednesday, the King County Electoral Bureau reports that 89,414 ballots for the statewide area code were counted that month, representing a turnout of 18.12%. This turnout is well below the August 2017 area code, which was 33.76%. More ballot papers are to be submitted by Thursday. The primary results will be certified on August 17th.

If their considerable leadership persists, both Harrell and González will advance to the November 2nd general election.