ELECTION 2025: Seattle Mayor results, first round – Harrell leads Wilson

(updated 8:45 pm with tonight’s full vote total/percentages – next count, Wednesday afternoon … updated 10:45 pm with notes)

Voting is over and vote-counting has begun. In Seattle, tonight’s marquee race is for mayor, with incumbent Bruce Harrell trying to become the first two-term mayor since West Seattleite Greg Nickels in the ’00s, facing transit advocate Katie Wilson, who finished first in the primary.

SEATTLE MAYOR
Bruce Harrell* – 62,086 – 53.32%
Katie Wilson – 53,767 – 46.18%

Here’s the full results list.

ADDED 10:45 PM: The two appeared at only one West Seattle forum during the general-election campaign, before the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce on October 10 (WSB coverage, with video, here).

(WSB video and photos by Anne Higuera)

Tonight we had only one field crew to send out, and no local races with West Seattle parties, so we sent our reporter to the Katie Wilson party at El Centro de la Raza on Beacon Hill. As evidenced by the numbers above, she couldn’t make a victory speech, but she wasn’t conceding either, saying, “If we prevail in this race, which is very possible …” Here’s her entire 10-minute speech after the night’s lone results release:

Though we couldn’t simultaneously be at the Harrell party, we found four minutes of his unedited speech online via KING5 – see that here. You can also see his speech 25 minutes into this archived live coverage from Channel 13.

Anon November 4, 2025 (8:24 pm)

Is there any precedence that helps gauge how likely this lead is to hold?

WSB November 4, 2025 (8:43 pm)

As Derek commented, later votes tend to break more liberal/progressive. But not always.
Looking back at the archives, in the primary, she was a little more than a point ahead of him on election night, and three days later, she was 8 1/2 points ahead of him.
- Anon November 4, 2025 (9:10 pm)
  
  Thanks for the reply. So the lead definitely isn’t safe. Fingers crossed it holds up though 🤞
- Del Griffith November 4, 2025 (11:00 pm)
  
  So progressives are actually procrastinators?
  - Lauren November 5, 2025 (6:41 am)
    
    Lolol Del this is not the hot take you think it is 😅
  - k November 5, 2025 (7:22 am)
    
    Or progressives want to have as much information as possible before deciding, and conservatives are quick to judge. You could lean into stereotypes and say conservatives have more time on their hands while liberals are more likely to be juggling jobs and child care, and have to dash in at the last second because they’ve been busy. There are all kinds of ways you can look at it.
  - Duwamesque November 5, 2025 (3:33 pm)
    
    I, for one, am anti-crast.

Derek November 4, 2025 (8:29 pm)

Encouraging for Wilson given late votes and Election Day votes go progressive. Still way too close!

K November 4, 2025 (8:43 pm)

Gross.

James November 4, 2025 (9:26 pm)

Strange that progressives seem to gain 10 points at the last second every time…

WSB November 4, 2025 (9:42 pm)

Not at all. I’ve been covering elections for 40+ years. In the olden days, and other states, when voting was mostly in-person on Election Day, the so-called “absentee ballots” that were counted first tended to break Republican/conservative too, invariably. (When we arrived here in the early ’90s and I started producing election coverage for my TV employer, long before mail-only elections, the first round of results released shortly after 8 pm were the “absentee ballots” – then the same day results were released in sequential batches … on occasion up until 1 am! And the final results were seldom the same as the first round.)
- Burgerman November 4, 2025 (10:54 pm)
  
  Thank you for shutting down this tiresome, conspiratorial, propagandized narrative, Tracy.
  - 22blades November 5, 2025 (7:53 am)
    
    James knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s not dumb but he thinks we are.
  - IDC9 November 5, 2025 (7:00 pm)
    
    Seconded. Thank you for presenting the truth regarding how votes get counted and vote counts get updated.
Amy November 5, 2025 (3:29 am)

…..say what you’re really implying….
Scarlett November 5, 2025 (12:05 pm)

I’ve worked elections here and in California and the chance of election tampering effecting the outcome of an election to any signficant degree is nil. In California, if you were to move a single completed ballot from one area of the election premises to another, one would have to find an escort to accompany you. This doesn’t stop the wild speculation on both sides of the political aisle.

Insertname November 4, 2025 (10:19 pm)

I’m the least bit thrilled with either candidate for mayor. But having to pick one, I’ll stick with the incumbent in this race. To me, progressive is a misnomer. I find regressive to be a much more fitting name.

Mike November 5, 2025 (3:38 am)

100%
Seattlite November 5, 2025 (7:15 am)

I agree with your comment, INSERTNAME. Currently, Seattle is better off with its bad incumbent candidate who has experience rather than with a bad candidate with zero experience. I hope Seattle’s bad incumbent candidate can keep his lead.
- SoLongDelridge November 5, 2025 (11:06 am)
  
  eXpErIeNcE
  
  You’re a good mouthpiece.

Del Griffith November 5, 2025 (12:04 am)

Any data on what we might expect turnout-wise for this election?

WSB November 5, 2025 (12:39 am)

As we published yesterday, KCE expected about 45 percent. It’ll be a couple days before the flow of mailed ballots starts ebbing. Maybe sooner this year with even USPS saying not to use them closer than a week to Election Day?

Progress November 5, 2025 (12:19 am)

Rooting for Wilson here in California!

No21984 November 5, 2025 (3:50 am)

I’m no fan of Harrell, but this is wild. People think that a woman in her 40s who can’t even adult and gets an allowance from her parents and who dropped out of Oxford 6 weeks before graduating because apparently it was too much for her (don’t worry people, her parents paid for that college experiment so she wasn’t in debt for quitting) is the person who should lead Seattle

G November 5, 2025 (9:46 am)

This.
Pete November 5, 2025 (11:20 am)

Well, the current guy is doing a pretty awful job. Oh, and once pulled a gun on a pregnant lady over a parking space. Not hard to see why people don’t want to reelect him. She’s definitely inexperienced, but at least can speak coherently and has some solid policy which she’s managed to articulate rather than simply attack her opponent. Bruce had the last 4 years, it’s been woeful. His previous decade in politics is littered with bad votes and nepotism. It isn’t hard to see why he’s struggling.
WS98 November 5, 2025 (12:55 pm)

This is a weak argument. There are countless successful people who’ve dropped out of college, and lived with parents.
- IDC9 November 5, 2025 (7:02 pm)
  
  If anything, it will become more common in the years ahead as college and everyday living become ever more expensive.
- No21984 November 6, 2025 (4:05 am)
  
  Please name some of these countless people in their 40s who are so successful that they require an allowance from their parents. I brought up the fact that this person quit Oxford University for two reasons. 1. She’s running for a leadership role of a city, but quit a University with only 6 weeks to graduation because ……? It wasn’t like she did a couple of semesters and decided it wasn’t for her. This smells of someone who couldn’t handle the stress needed to get through college and simply quit trying2. She came from such an affluent home that this wasn’t an issue to even do this because it was someone else’s money. This is the problem with a lot of these champagne socialists.

KT November 5, 2025 (4:07 am)

Sad that only 45% of people will return the ballots that literally take 3 minutes to fill out.

Gibby November 5, 2025 (9:44 am)

How long does the research take? Or should people just randomly fill in the circles for the sake of completing the ballot in 3 mins.
- Pete November 5, 2025 (11:21 am)
  
  Research? I dunno? An hour tops. Less time than most folk waste scrolling or watching slop on tv.
  - IDC9 November 5, 2025 (7:09 pm)
    
    Depending on how many contests are on the ballot and how many of the candidates I am familiar with, my research time has been anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. It varies greatly from cycle to cycle.
- BlairJ November 5, 2025 (3:21 pm)
  
  Sad that only 45% of people will return the ballots that literally take 30 minutes to read the online King County Voters Pamphlet and fill out. Even if they didn’t do any further research than that, it would be better than not voting.
- IDC9 November 5, 2025 (7:07 pm)
  
  I, for one, don’t recommend filling in circles randomly just to get the ballot filled out quickly. Voting is an important civic responsibility, and it should be treated as such. Take your time, do your research, and vote for the candidates you believe will do the best job.
Peter S. November 5, 2025 (9:45 am)

THIS. I rarely see eye to eye with KT, but 100% on this one. Appreciate the priviledge you have and exercise your right, even if you disagree with or don’t like the choices presented.

Julian November 5, 2025 (5:37 am)

Both options aren’t great, but I’m pulling for Harrell as Wilson seems too inexperienced, naive, and out of her depth. Heart is probably in the right place, but I did not get the impression that she’ll actually be able to competently navigate the demands and limitations of being mayor.

Fairmount November 5, 2025 (8:23 am)

Not sure why anyone would vote for someone with no experience, no plan, no degree and not even from Seattle. While we have an incumbent running that has proven himself as a previous city council rep and local Seattleite. Changes don’t happen overnight and giving Harrell 4 more years seems completely fair. He’s not Durkan. People forget so quickly and it’s embarrassing the way this city cycles through elected officials like people come and go from Seattle. Some of us don’t want cap hill’s depression to spread and these “progressive” candidates are actually regressive because they get us what we experienced during and immediately after covid . For those that don’t remember it wasn’t pretty. Not to mention all of the businesses that have left and taken their jobs with them. Even just to Bellevue. What you all did to Sara Nelson and Ann this election is embarrassing. Both had actually made positive changes and got SOMETHING done. But because the Stranger felt they weren’t progressive they lost out on an off election year.

Admiral2009 November 5, 2025 (8:33 am)

Hopefully Mayor Harrell hold onto his lead, he grew up in the City and has done a decent job. Ms. Wilson grew up back east and has only lived in the the City since 2014 with virtually no experience running a large organization. How is this election even close?

John S November 5, 2025 (9:39 am)

Go Bruce Go! He’s far from perfect. But I’d much rather give him an additional 4 year term to build on the progress he has made this term than to start over from scratch with a brand new Mayor once again. At first I wasn’t thrilled with how slow things were going such as clearing homeless camps, RV’s with trash piled beside them and other issues. But the 2nd half of Bruce’s current term he has made a dent in the issue and it’s far better than handing the torch over to someone with little to know real experience on these complex issues. I believe if Bruce wins reelection he will use the next 4 years wisely to continue to staff police department, clear illegal homeless & RV camps that often times are filled with criminal conduct, bring back businesses to the downtown core, and other things to revitalize a city that’s been going down hill drastically over the last decade or more and seemed almost beyond repair. Bruce let this next term be your legacy to be the mayor who brings Seattle back in more ways than one! Don’t get wrapped up obsessing over DT and focus on the local issues your constituents want you focused on fixing sooner rather than later, hope you get cooperation from council the next 4 years as well.

Scarlett November 5, 2025 (10:26 am)

All the “bootstrap” conservatives have assembled, replete with the financial advantages they’ve received from parents, that good ole transgenerational transfer of wealth, taking potshots at silver spoon Katie Wilson. When you step back from the political fray – especially over the past 5 or so years – you begin to realize how more alike you all are than you are dissimilar. i don’t want any of you making decisions for me, frankly.

Pete November 5, 2025 (11:24 am)

As ever, the people on here are missing the point. The fact that childcare runs into the thousands each month is genuinely disgraceful. Oh my god! The horror, her parents help her out!
Dr Wu November 5, 2025 (12:53 pm)

There isn’t a “bootstrap conservative” within 20 miles of Seattle.
Jay November 5, 2025 (1:22 pm)

It’s wild that the conservatives are assassinating Katie Wilson’s character when their candidate literally has a history of violent crime. He brandished a gun at an 8 month visibly pregnant woman over a parking space when he was in his late 30s.

Peter November 5, 2025 (11:12 am)

The claim that progressives are going to vote in droves at the last minute to unseat a lifelong liberal Democrat is laughable.

Nolan November 15, 2025 (9:57 pm)

I’d love to hear how you feel about this comment now, given the benefit of hindsight.

Seattlite November 5, 2025 (1:39 pm)

What a broad brush you use to describe Conservatives. Including myself and all of my Conservatives friends in and out of the Seattle area, we were raised in blue-collar households. Our Conservative parents worked to support their family, purchase homes, save money for higher education. That is where the term “bootstrap” came about…It takes self-sufficiency, confidence, earning one’s own way through hard work and dedication to achieve success. My Conservative friends include small business owners, plumbers, construction workers, doctors, farmers, ranchers…none came from rich families.