Katie Wilson looks poised to become Seattle’s next mayor.

Incumbent Bruce Harrell, 67, slipped further behind Wilson as fresh ballot counts were released Wednesday. Wilson, who identifies as a democratic socialist, was ahead by 1,976 votes. Her lead of 0.71 percentage points puts the race outside the margin for a recount.

Wilson, 43, would be Seattle’s first Millennial mayor. She ran on a populist platform, decrying the city’s high cost of living and criticizing Harrell’s progress on addressing homelessness.

On Wednesday morning, Wilson told KUOW she was beginning to prepare her transition team. In the afternoon, her campaign told KUOW that Harrell had not conceded yet, adding that “we now believe we’re in an insurmountable position.”

Harrell plans to address the public at noon on Thursday, according to a press release sent immediately after the Wednesday results came out. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Harrell was ahead by more than 10,000 votes on Election Day, but Wilson gained on him as ballots were counted. She pulled ahead earlier this week and has continued gaining.

Very few ballots are left to count in this race, said Halei Watkins, communications director for King County’s election department.

“After today, our updates will be down to any late-arriving on-time ballots that arrive through the mail and whatever signature challenges are responded to and resolved in the last day or two,” Watkins told KUOW.

Both candidates have another couple weeks to track down voters whose ballots were rejected for issues with their signatures — if they can find them and help them “cure” their ballots, those votes will be added to the tally.

Ballots with signature issues tend to belong to younger voters, and polling indicates that younger voters favor Wilson, said Andrew Villeneuve, founder of the left-wing think tank Northwest Progressive Institute.

“We think Wilson has it,” Villeneuve said.

Bruce Harrell, the more moderate candidate in the race, was trying to secure a second term in office, something no Seattle mayor has achieved since 2005, when Greg Nickels beat Al Runte. Nickels took to Facebook on Tuesday, after ballot counting showed Wilson widening her lead over Harrell for the first time.

“I endorsed and voted for Mayor Harrell. But if Katie Wilson is elected our Mayor, as appears very likely, I wish her success and if I can help her in some way I will,” Nickels wrote. “Once the votes are counted it is important that our Mayor have our support. We may agree or disagree with her policy goals but a huge part of the Mayor’s job is running the government that provides so many direct services upon which every Seattle resident depends.”

Katie Wilson told KUOW Wednesday morning that, if she wins, she plans to take a day off with her family.

“I think a nice ferry trip to Bainbridge Island could be a fun way to spend a day,” she said.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/11/12/katie-wilson-poised-to-be-seattle-s-first-millennial-mayor/