Seattle Mayor Wilson backs lefty challengers to veteran WA Democrats
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is sticking her neck out for two left-wing challengers to veteran Seattle Democrats in the Washington Legislature.
Wilson, who herself unseated an incumbent whose reelection many saw as inevitable, endorsed Hannah Sabio-Howell and Ron Davis over the weekend. Sabio-Howell is challenging Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen in the 43rd Legislative District, while Davis is taking on Rep. Gerry Pollet in the 46th District.
Both challengers are running on the same issues that got Wilson elected, she said in a statement, namely by focusing on affordability and shelter.
She acknowledged the political weight of her decision to buck two well-established Democrats - including one, in Pedersen, who was the face of the Legislature's push to tax millionaires - but said frustration with the status quo warranted it.
Two of these candidates are running against incumbents who have served in the Legislature for many years," she said in a statement. "There is strong pressure for elected officials to endorse fellow incumbents. It's a way of maintaining relationships, part of the quid pro quo of governing. I understand this, but it's not the way I want to do politics."
Wilson's endorsement of Sabio-Howell, in particular, is noteworthy - and potentially risky - as she's seeking to oust Pedersen, who as the top Democratic leader in the state Senate can exercise substantial control over whether the city of Seattle's legislative priorities get scheduled for hearings and votes.
Pedersen said Wilson met with him at a coffee shop over the weekend to tell him of her decision.
"It's disappointing. I feel like I am consistently interested in helping the city succeed and that's been true over many years with many mayors," he said, adding, "I am not sure what she disagrees with me about."
In a statement issued after the endorsement snub, Pedersen rattled off a list of key Democratic elected officials, labor unions and liberal advocacy groups that are backing him. They include Gov. Bob Ferguson, Attorney General Nick Brown, the Washington State Labor Council and LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, among others.
Despite Wilson's decision, Pedersen said he'd still work for the interests of Seattle in the Legislature.
In a social media post, Sabio-Howell, former legislative aide and worker rights activist, said her campaign was "incredibly honored" to receive Wilson's endorsement. "She ran to make Seattle a city that working people can afford to build good lives in, & that's exactly our campaign's vision too," she said.
Pollet, in an interview over the weekend, said the mayor acknowledged his leadership when they spoke, but said she was backing Davis due to their personal relationship.
"I said you know it sends a message that you know how effective and collaborative someone is working on behalf of the city of Seattle, but you are willing to throw them overboard," Pollet said, accusing the mayor of "burning bridges."
In a statement emailed to media later, Pollet dissed Davis as "a tech-bro dilettante" who has spent the past three years since he lost a City Council race "carping on his blog about city policies and raising PAC money for Katie Wilson."
Davis, a tech entrepreneur, cheered the mayor's endorsement in an email blast to supporters, saying Wilson's victory last year "shows what happens when people stop accepting politics as usual and start organizing for the city they actually deserve.
Wilson also endorsed Democrat Jaelynn Scott, who would be the first openly transgender legislator in Olympia. She's running in an open-seat House race in the 37th Legislative District.
The first test of Wilson's endorsement will come during the Aug. 4 primary, especially in the 46th District, where Davis is not the only challenger actively vying for Pollet's seat.
Will Dreher, a former federal prosecutor who volunteered to prosecute people involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, is also running in that race, and as of Monday had raised far more money than either Pollet or Davis.
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