Hannah Murphy Winter
Editor-in-Chief @TheStranger.com
- Do you eat food? Then you should care about farm workers. Read Conor Kelley on the effort to get collective bargaining rights for the people who grow your food.
- For some weekend reading, @thestranger.com partnered with The Guardian to explore what it means to run a winning mayoral campaign as a community organizer.
- In the lobby of City Hall, waiting for Bruce Harrell's speech where we expect him to concede the mayor's race in a couple minutes.
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View full threadHarrell ended the presser by saying "One Seattle" one more time. Mayor Elect Katie Wilson's speech is coming in an hour.
- Katie Wilson explicitly called herself a socialist in her victory speech. Can't wait for the conservative media frenzy from that soundbite.
- Harrell showed his best face for most of the presser. His speech was funny, he joked about kicking off his acting career, and was gracious about his loss. Then a KIRO 7 reporter asked him if he might have failed to understand how much people were struggling with affordability in the city.
- He told the reporter that it was an offensive question. Because he and his wife grew up poor, and dedicated their lives to serving the poor. If the voters didn't understand that, he said, it was because political opponents it look like he didn't understand how people were struggling.
- He credits the youth vote for Katie Wilson's win, and says he believes that he and Wilson, ultimately, have the same set of values. But he also promised that he will stay present in the city. "Seattle will be fine. I'll make sure of that. I'm not retired. I'm not going anywhere."
- A reporter from KING 5 asked if he plans to ask for a recount. He says he decided to concede because he "wanted to bring the cabinet some closure." He says he won't ask for a recount, and plans to govern just for the next six weeks.
- Breaking news: Mayor Harrell actually said Katie Wilson's name.
- Bruce Harrell has officially conceded the mayor's race.
- The room is packed. At least six city council members are here. Bruce Harrell just walked out.
- The results are in. Katie Wilson is up by 1,976 votes and 0.72 percent of the vote. It’s tight, but we’re outside of recount territory. Katie Wilson will be Seattle’s next mayor.
- With this new ballot drop, Katie Wilson is very likely our next mayor.
- This.
- Harrell’s campaign has seized on the argument that Wilson’s parents helping with the cost of childcare somehow undermines her working-class identity. It’s an argument that only an attorney with a million-dollar home and more than a million in Microsoft stock could make.
- *MORE THAN a million dollar home.
- According to his financial disclosures last year, his household income is somewhere between $530,000 and $1.2 million.
- This is backup in our polling data as well. 65% of the respondents between 30 and 44 plan to vote for Wilson, and 59% of respondents 18-29. But it's all about turnout. When we narrow the sample just to likely voters, this race gets tight. www.thestranger.com/stranger-pol...
- and by "this is backup," I meant "this is backed up."
- Imagine this story being written about Harrell, or any other male politician: writing condescendingly about how his parents contribute to the care of their grandchildren; sniping at his spouse for not being gainfully employed; talking about having a "toddler on his hip." www.kuow.org/stories/kati...
- During the game is fine too.
- Harrell has said a lot of wild things during this campaign, but this one might take the cake.
- When she announced her campaign, Wilson was unknown to most Seattleites. Then she won the primary in a landslide that no one expected, not even her. We at The Stranger thought it was time we got to know her better. My takeaway: I don’t think Harrell has any idea what he’s up against.
- Read all about it here: www.thestranger.com/news/2025/10...
- MLK Labor just voted to convert their sole Bruce Harrell endorsement into a dual endorsement of Harrell + Katie Wilson. The decision "shows both candidates have earned meaningful support from working people and accurately reflects the views of union members across Seattle," they said in a statement.
- This comes almost six weeks after she beat Harrell by nine points in the primary. www.thestranger.com/stranger-ele...
- This is important, and easy to miss! Pharmacies in Washington state should not be able to turn you away for a COVID vaccine if you don't have a prescription.
- The State Department of Health recommends that Washingtonians print out this Standing Order and bring it to the pharmacy if you're worried about being turned away. You can read more about it in today's morning news roundup. www.thestranger.com/slog-am/2025...
- @vivmccall.bsky.social and I dug into the far-right Christian groups that came to Seattle, and what they were really trying to accomplish with Saturday's protest.
- [Not loaded yet]
- Best quote: "The table looks like a Finding Nemo crime scene—shells and guts strewn about with splatters of peppery garlic butter everywhere. You, guilty as charged, have your hands soaked red with the stuff, unable to navigate the straw to your drink, let alone the solace promised by the Wet-Naps."
