# 2017 Seattle mayoral election

"none" is preferred when the title is already sufficiently detailed; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
Elections in Washington :
Federal government
Presidential elections
1892
1896
1900
1904
1908
1912
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Presidential primaries
Democratic
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Republican
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
U.S. Senate elections
1889
1891
1893
1895 sp
1897
1899
1903
1905
1909
1911
1914
1916
1920
1922
1928
1934
1940
1946
1952
1956
1958
1962
1964
1968
1970
1974
1976
1980
1982
1983 sp
1986
1988
1992
1994
1998
2000
2004
2006
2010
2012
2016
2018
2022
2024
2028
U.S. House of Representatives elections
1889
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1909
2nd sp
1910
1912
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1923
5th sp
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1947
3rd sp
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
3rd sp
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
1975
3rd sp
1976
1977
7th sp
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
1st sp
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
2026 :
State government
General elections
2004
2008
2010
2012
2016
2020
2024
Gubernatorial elections
1889
1892
1896
1900
1904
1908
1912
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Lieutenant gubernatorial elections
2020
2024
Secretary of State elections
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2022 sp
2024
Attorney General elections
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
State Treasurer elections
2024
State Auditor elections
2024
Commissioner of Public Lands elections
2024
State Senate elections
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2013
26th sp
2014
2016
2017
45th sp
2018
2020
2022
2024
House of Representatives elections
2006
2008
2010
21st
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Supreme Court elections
2004
2006
2008
2012 :
Ballot measures
1972
276
2004
872
2006
920
933
937
4223
2007
67
2008
1000
2009
71
2012
74
502
1185
1240
2016
732
2018
1631
1639
2019
976
2024
2066
2109
2117
2124 :
Seattle
Mayoral elections
2005
2009
2013
2017
2021
2025
City Attorney elections
2021
City Council elections
2019
2021
3rd recall
2023
Ballot measures
Sound Transit 3 :
Spokane
Mayoral elections
2011
2015
2019
2023 :
vte :
The 2017 Seattle mayoral election was held on November 7, 2017. It was won by former U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan, who beat civic activist Cary Moon in the general election by 15 percentage points. The two candidates had advanced from an earlier primary election held in August, which ensured that Seattle would have its first female mayor since Bertha Knight Landes was elected in 1926. Municipal elections are officially nonpartisan though most candidates have declared party affiliations.
Then-incumbent mayor Ed Murray initially sought re-election, but ended his campaign amid allegations of sexual abuse which led to his resignation in September 2017. In the top-two primary, leading candidates had included Durkan, Moon, Nikkita Oliver, former State Representative Jessyn Farrell, former Mayor Mike McGinn, and State Senator Bob Hasegawa. Fifteen lesser-known candidates were also on the primary ballot.
Durkan had a large lead over Moon after the preliminary general election ballot count on November 7, and Moon conceded the next day. Durkan officially took office on November 28, after the results were certified, replacing interim mayor Tim Burgess.

## Voting

Elections in Washington use a nonpartisan blanket primary which selects the top two candidates, whether endorsed by any party or not, to appear on the general election ballot, along with a write-in space. Washington elections have been vote-by-mail in every county since 1990. Since there are no polling places, voting can only be done by absentee ballot, typically mailed to registered voters 20 days ahead of the election deadline, and returned by US Mail. Replacement ballots may be downloaded online and printed by the voter. Designated ballot drop boxes are available as an alternative to mailing, and voters with disabilities can get assistance in person beginning 18 days before election day. Mail in ballots must be postmarked by midnight of the election day, or delivered to the drop box by 8 pm.
The ballots for the 2017 primary were mailed on July 12, and the primary election day was August 1. King County Elections began posting results at 8:30 pm on that day, and certified final results on August 15. General election ballots were mailed out on or before October 18, and drop boxes opened the following day. The general Election Day was November 7, and results were certified on November 28.

## City politics

Ed Murray, a former state legislator, was elected Mayor of Seattle during the 2013 mayoral election, defeating incumbent Mike McGinn. During Murray's first term in office, Seattle adopted a $15 hourly minimum wage, a citywide preschool program, a large transportation funding measure, and reforms within the Seattle Police Department after intervention from the United States Department of Justice.

### Ed Murray abuse lawsuit

In early April, several months before the primary election, a lawsuit was filed against Mayor Ed Murray, alleging sexual abuse of the plaintiff as a minor in the 1980s in exchange for drug money. The allegations were denied by Murray, who initially said he would fight the suit and carry on his campaign, but decided to withdraw a month later because, he said, the Mayor's race should be about the needs of the city, not "a scandal, which it would be focused on, if I were to remain in". The Seattle Times editorial board had said they feared dealing with the allegations during an election would weaken Murray to the point that an "extreme left-wing ideologue" could become Mayor, so Murray should withdraw from the race to "clear the way for another qualified, pragmatic leader to come forward". The Stranger alt-weekly said that even though The Times mentioned Kshama Sawant as the kind of mayor they feared, they really meant lawyer and Black Lives Matter activist Nikkita Oliver. Murray ended his campaign on May 9, after a fourth accuser was identified.

## Primary election
### Candidates

On final ballot Seattle elections are officially nonpartisan, but some candidates have a stated party affiliation.
* Gary Brose (Republican), entrepreneur
* Casey Carlisle (Libertarian)
* Tiniell Cato (Democratic), grant writer, business owner, philanthropist
* Jenny Durkan (Democratic), former U.S. Attorney for Western Washington
* Jessyn Farrell (Democratic), state representative from 46th district
* Thom Gunn (Green Democrat)
* Greg Hamilton (Independent), business owner
* Michael Harris (Democratic), TV producer and conservationist
* Bob Hasegawa (Democratic), state senator from 11th district.
* Lewis A. Jones (Republican), small business owner
* David Kane (no party)
* Harley Lever (Independent, leans Democratic), research scientist, leader of "Safe Seattle" advocacy group
* Mary Juanita Martin (Socialist Workers Party), factory worker
* Mike McGinn (Democratic), former mayor
* Cary Moon (Democratic), activist and urban planner
* James W. Norton Jr. (Democratic), Seattle police officer
* Larry Oberto (no party), former race driver, motorsports management
* Nikkita Oliver (People's Party), attorney, educator, organizer (including Black Lives Matter), and public figure
* Jason Roberts (Democratic), consultant
* Alex Tsimerman (Independent), retired
* Keith Whiteman (no party), musician
Withdrawn
* Peter Alcorn
* Prachant Bradwell
* David Ishii
* Ed Murray, incumbent mayor; withdrew May 9
* Andres Salomon, safe streets activist; withdrew April 20
* Adam Star, attorney; withdrew April 28
Declined
* Lorena González, city councilmember
* Mike O'Brien, city councilmember

#### Political positions

Each candidate on the primary ballot was sent a questionnaire by The Seattle Times in which they discussed their political positions.
* Gary Brose — More traffic lanes for cars, remove homeless from public areas, fiscal discipline.
* Casey Carlisle — Address cost of living, traffic, and homelessness by deregulating developers, stronger property rights.
* Tiniell Cato — Remove race, creed, sexuality, income, etc., from government documents, applications and processes to eliminate inequality.
* Jenny Durkan — Emphasis on experience in delivering progressive results, success in police reform. Flexible solutions to housing affordability, homelessness.
* Jessyn Farrell — Legislative experience, progressive results in transportation, public school, helping workers. Addressing inequality, housing affordability.
* Thom Gunn — Limit growth, oppose Californication of Seattle.
* Greg Hamilton — Did not reply to ST's questionnaire, but has spoken out on property crime, homelessness and traffic. Work with developers.
* Michael Harris — No new taxes, more bipartisanship and efficient government.
* Bob Hasegawa — Reclaim power for people from the wealthy. Long history in public office. Address inequality. Establish municipal bank to help build more housing. Manage city's rapid growth.
* Lewis A. Jones — Address cell phone cancer, pro-Russia, wind breaks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, punish adultery to stop HIV
* Dave Kane — Did not reply to ST's questionnaire, has made no public statements
* Harvey Lever — Use data and research to address homelessness, opioid addiction, education, health care.
* Mary Juanita Martin — Remedy housing, job, and crime issues by overturning capitalism, ending the rule of property owners
* Mike McGinn — Help lower and middle class without more regressive sales and property taxes. No new taxes until city budget fully reviewed. Effective management of details of government, not starting big projects
* Cary Moon — Experience as engineer, finding solutions for large urban systems, community activism. Non-car-centric transportation. Deep knowledge of city's issues.
* James W. Norton Jr. — Individualized solutions to homelessness. Government not listening to ordinary people.
* Larry Oberto — Fiscal accountability, address homelessness by requiring civility, make traffic flow better.
* Nikkita Oliver — Systemic change to address homelessness/displacement, better representation for marginalized communities/neighborhoods/small business, police reform, transit, wiser use of city resources.
* Jason Roberts — Budget reform, accountability.
* Alex Tsimerman — Did not reply to ST's questionnaire, but has spoken out saying Seattle is fascist, one-party rule, controlled by Jeff Bezos and Amazon. Support Donald Trump.
* Keith Whiteman — Bail reform or pretrial detention reform, influence public debate without necessarily winning.

### Endorsements

Officeholders
* Sally Bagshaw, Seattle City Council member (District 7)
* Tim Burgess, Seattle City Council member (Position 8)
* Debora Juarez, Seattle City Council member (District 5)
* Joe McDermott, King County Council member (District 8)
* Ed Murray, former incumbent mayor
Individuals
* Christine Gregoire, former governor of Washington
* Ron Sims, former Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and former King County Executive
Media
* The Seattle Times
Organizations
* Metropolitan Democratic Club of Seattle
* Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
Officeholders
* Claudia Balducci, King County Council member (District 6)
* Rod Dembowski, King County Council member (District 1)
* Noel Frame, Washington state representative (District 36)
* Hilary Franz, Washington Public Lands Commissioner
* Cyrus Habib, lieutenant governor of Washington
* Rob Johnson, Seattle City Council member (District 4)
* Ruth Kagi, Washington state representative (District 32)
* Nicole Macri, Washington state representative (District 43)
* Pat McCarthy, Washington State Auditor
* Gerry Pollet, Washington state representative (District 46)
* Cindy Ryu, Washington state representative (District 32)
* Marilyn Strickland, mayor of Tacoma
Media
* The C is for Crank (Erica C. Barnett)
* Seattle Transit Blog
Political groups
* 43rd Legislative District Democrats
* 46th Legislative District Democrats
* King County Young Democrats
Unions
* International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Lodge 751
* International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers Local 66
* International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 117
* Laborers' International Union of North America Local 1239
* M.L. King County Labor Council (AFL–CIO), split endorsement with Bob Hasegawa
* Sheet Metal Workers Local 66
* UNITE HERE Local 8
* United Food and Commercial Workers Local 21
Officeholders
* Maralyn Chase, state senator
* Steve Conway, State representative
* Mia Gregerson, state representative
* Ryan McIrvin, Renton city councilmember
* Sharon Nelson, state Senator
* Betty Patu, Seattle School Board member
* DeSean Quinn, Tukwila city councilmember
* Sharon Tomiko Santos, State representative
* Brian Sullivan, Snohomish County councilmember
* John Urquhart, King County sheriff
Individuals
* Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney, former state representative
* Velma Veloria, former state representative
Organizations
* Seattle Education Association (NEA), split endorsement with Nikkita Oliver
Political groups
* 11th Legislative District Democrats
* 32nd Legislative District Democrats
* 21st Legislative District Democrats
* 37th Legislative District Democrats
* 46th Legislative District Democrats
* King County Democrats
* Our Revolution Ballard
* Washington State Progressive Caucus
Unions
* American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 304
* International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 46
* International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 174
* International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 763
* International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 23
* M.L. King County Labor Council (AFL–CIO), split endorsement with Jessyn Farrell
* Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters
Organizatuons
* Sierra Club
* Sonicsgate
Media
* The Stranger
* The Urbanist
Organizations
* Seattle Subway
Officeholders
* Larry Gossett, King County Council member (District 2)
* Mike O'Brien, Seattle City Council member (District 6)
* Kshama Sawant, Seattle City Council member (District 3)
Individuals
* Macklemore
* Velma Veloria, former Washington state representative (District 11)
Organizations
* Seattle Education Association (NEA), split endorsement with Bob Hasegawa
Unions
* United Auto Workers Local 4121
Media
* Seattle Weekly
* The Stranger (dissent from editorial board).
Political groups
* Democratic Socialists of America organization
* Green Party of Washington State, Seattle
* International Socialist Organization
* National Women's Political Caucus of Washington
* Socialist Alternative party
Seattle City Council member Lisa Herbold said on June 6 that she did not intend to endorse anyone, while Bruce Harrell and Lorena González, both supporters of incumbent Ed Murray, had not commented since Murray withdrew. The other six city council members lined up behind either Durkan, Farrell, or Oliver.

### Opinion polls

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Mike McGinn | Jenny Durkan | Nikkita Oliver | Bob Hasegawa | Jessyn Farrell | Cary Moon | Gary Brose | Other | Undecided |
| SurveyUSA | June 6–18, 2017 | 503 | ± 4.5% | 19% | 14% | 9% | 8% | 6% | 3% | 1% | 11% | 38% |
| Washington State Wire | June 15–18, 2017 | 475 | ± 4.0% | 6% | 30% | 3% | 9% | 2% | 4% | — | 17% | 28% |

### Results

Jenny Durkan and Cary Moon won the August 1 primary, with Durkan's 51,529 votes comprising 27.97% of the total, and Moon's 32,536 votes comprising 17.66%. Until the final result was certified on August 15, Moon's second-place finish was uncertain, with Nikkita Oliver running a close third with 17.02% of the total, or 31,366 votes, finishing 1,170 votes, or 0.63 percentage points behind Moon. The size of the top two candidates' leads shrank slightly as the daily counts were announced, but not enough to change the outcome. None of the three conceded, or claimed victory, until final tally. None of the leading candidates eliminated in the primary, Oliver, Farrell, O'Brien, or Hasegawa, had made any endorsements at that point.
The first day's preliminary count after the August 1 primary was 88,950 ballots, 19.18% of the 463,660 ballots sent to registered voters. The leaders in this initial count were Jenny Durkan with 27,579 votes or 31.6% of the ballots counted so far, Cary Moon with 13,583 or 15.56%, and Nikkita Oliver with 12,126 or 13.9%. Jessyn Farrell had 10,308 votes (11.81%), Bob Hasegawa 7,526 (8.62%), and Mike McGinn 6,247 (7.16%). The remaining 15 candidates, and write-ins, totaled 9,899 votes, or 11.3%. The Seattle Times, KUOW radio, and other local media predicted, after the initial count of about half what King County said was the expected turnout, that Seattle's next mayor would be a woman for the first time since Bertha Knight Landes was elected 91 years before, in 1926. They said Durkan appeared certain to have her name on the general election ballot, while Moon and Oliver, and perhaps Farrell, were in a toss-up to make it through the primary. The Stranger predicted that in the likely event of Moon or Oliver facing Durkan in the general, "Seattle's mayoral race will once again pit an establishment politician with deep Democratic ties against an outsider whose political influence grew from activism", whom Crosscut.com called "darlings of the left". Erica C. Barnett called the result a rejection of backward-looking "taking back" Seattle (Hasegawa) and "keeping Seattle" (McGinn).
By August 8, local media said Durkan and Moon appeared certain to have their names on the general election ballot, with 186,784 ballots counted representing 40.28% of registered voters, and about 1,200 Seattle ballots left. Most of the remaining ballots were awaiting signature challenges. Oliver had begun a campaign of 'ballot chasing', encouraging supporters whose ballots had been challenged to contact the elections office to defend them. Durkan and Moon said they supported Oliver's efforts to make sure every vote is counted. Durkan, with 27.96% was still secure in her position, while Moon's lead over Oliver had decreased to 1,362, larger than the number of remaining ballots. After an election is certified, a recount is mandatory when candidates are separated by very slim margins. Moon did not announce she had won, and Oliver did not concede. Moon said she contacted Farrell, Hasegawa, McGinn, and Oliver to begin discussing working together. Oliver signaled that if Moon moved to the general she would support Moon, while the others are waiting for the final results.
King County Elections certified the final result on August 15, with no significant changes from the late running totals, and Durkan and Moon remaining in the winning first and second positions. The 1,170 vote margin between Oliver and Moon met one of the criteria for an automatic recount, a separation of 2,000 or fewer votes, but the 0.63 percentage point difference was greater than the second criterion, a 0.5 or smaller percentage point margin. Oliver conceded after the results were announced, but did not endorse either Durkan or Moon, and said the Peoples Party would not make any endorsements.
Primary August 1, 2017, final result, excluding write-ins :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Jenny Durkan | Jenny Durkan | 51,529 | 27.97 |
| Cary Moon | Cary Moon | 32,536 | 17.66 |
| Nikkita Oliver | Nikkita Oliver | 31,366 | 17.02 |
| Jessyn Farrell | Jessyn Farrell | 23,160 | 12.57 |
| Bob Hasegawa | Bob Hasegawa | 15,500 | 8.41 |
| Mike McGinn | Mike McGinn | 12,001 | 6.51 |
| Gary Brose | Gary Brose | 3,987 | 2.16 |
| Harvey Lever | Harvey Lever | 3,340 | 1.81 |
| Larry Oberto | Larry Oberto | 3,089 | 1.68 |
| Greg Hamilton | Greg Hamilton | 1,706 | 0.93 |
| Michael Harris | Michael Harris | 1,401 | 0.76 |
| Casey Carlisle | Casey Carlisle | 1,309 | 0.71 |
| James W. Norton Jr. | James W. Norton Jr. | 988 | 0.54 |
| Thom Gunn | Thom Gunn | 455 | 0.25 |
| Mary Juanita Martin | Mary Juanita Martin | 422 | 0.23 |
| Jason Roberts | Jason Roberts | 405 | 0.22 |
| Lewis A. Jones | Lewis A. Jones | 344 | 0.19 |
| Alex Tsimerman | Alex Tsimerman | 253 | 0.14 |
| Keith J. Whiteman | Keith J. Whiteman | 174 | 0.10 |
| Tiniell Cato | Tiniell Cato | 170 | 0.09 |
| David Kane | David Kane | 114 | 0.06 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 184,249 | 100 |

## General election
### Debate

2017 Seattle mayoral election debate :
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Nonpartisan | Nonpartisan |
| Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | | |
| Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Jenny Durkan | Cary Moon |
| 1 | Oct. 24, 2017 | GeekWire KING-TV KUOW-FM Seattle CityClub | Natalie Brand Ross Reynolds | | P | P |

### Results

In the first preliminary returns, Durkan won nearly 61 percent of votes. The Seattle Times called the election for Durkan, predicting that her lead was too large for Moon to overcome in the uncounted ballots. King County Elections planned to finish counting ballots and certify the final result on November 28.
On November 8, Moon conceded to Durkan and offered her congratulations.
General election, November 7, 2017 preliminary results as of November 17, 2017 pending final count due November 28 :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Jenny Durkan | Jenny Durkan | 122,442 | 56.25 |
| Cary Moon | Cary Moon | 95,251 | 43.75 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 217,693 | 100 |
Results by city council district :
| District | Jenny Durkan | Cary Moon | Write-in | Votes cast | Registered voters | Turnout % |
| 1 | 18,338 58% | 12,438 39% | 1,034 3% | 31,810 | 65,622 | 48% |
| 2 | 11,329 47% | 12,160 50% | 596 2% | 24,085 | 55,108 | 44% |
| 3 | 18,410 51% | 17,320 48% | 701 2% | 36,431 | 70,486 | 52% |
| 4 | 17,327 58% | 11,873 40% | 754 3% | 29,954 | 59,795 | 50% |
| 5 | 16,638 55% | 12,986 43% | 855 3% | 30,479 | 62,667 | 49% |
| 6 | 21,140 54% | 17,388 44% | 977 2% | 39,505 | 73,221 | 54% |
| 7 | 19,260 61% | 11,086 35% | 1,007 3% | 31,353 | 68,703 | 46% |
| Total | 122,442 55% | 95,251 43% | 5,924 3% | 223,617 | 455,602 | 49% |