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Recall Sawant campaign says nearing signature goal to put vote on ballot — UPDATE: November?

Supporters of the campaign to remove District 3 representative Kshama Sawant from office say they are within striking distance of the more than 10,000 signatures required to put the recall question on the ballot.

A fundraising pitch from Recall Sawant set to be sent to campaign supporters trumpets the ahead-of-schedule milestone. “The Recall Committee has now collected more than 9,000 in-District signatures in less than 7 weeks, but we need your help to reach the required 10,739 signatures by August 1st,” it reads, followed by a call for donations of $25, $50, or $100.

Organizers have said they have until October 19th to hit the signature total required to put the vote on the ballot but the fundraising pitch is geared toward a quicker resolution.

The Kshama Solidarity campaign, meanwhile, will be part of a Seattle Democratic Socialists of America fundraiser for Sawant later this month. “Millionaires and billionaires are lining up against Kshama and supporting the recall effort,” the SDSA invitation reads. “The Kshama Solidarity Campaign needs our material support.”

The campaigns are being well supported financially. According to the most recent filings with the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, the recall fight has generated nearly another $100,000 in donations after hitting the $1 million mark combined across the two campaigns early last month.

In June, the campaigns tangled over labor support and endorsements.

Organizers need nearly 11,000 signatures from District 3 residents to put the recall on the ballot. Only D3 voters will participate in the yes/no recall vote. If the majority of D3 voters choose yes on the recall, the council would select a temporary replacement until the next general election in the city. The winner in that vote would finish Sawant’s current term through the end of 2023.

Once the signatures are approved, it’s not clear when the vote would be able to appear on the ballot. UPDATE: The recall campaign says it is aiming to get the vote on November’s General Election ballot.

CHS reported here in May on the start of the signature gathering effort that has focused on a by-mail strategy while both campaigns have occasionally tangled in the streets. The campaigns have also argued over Sawant’s admission of guilt for improperly promoting the Tax Amazon ballot initiative, one of the issues behind the recall effort.

 

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CKathes
CKathes
2 years ago

I’ll be the first to admit that Sawant and her core group of supporters can be annoying AF. No argument there whatsoever.

But she’s not crooked or corrupt, at least not in any way that’s knowable. Not one of the recall campaign’s three official charges against her was in any way self-dealing. All three, misguided and/or mildly illegal as they may have been, were pursuant to policy objectives — and nothing else.

Besides, voting to recall anyone is a big gamble if you don’t know beforehand who will take their place, and in this case we can’t. Even Sawant’s fiercest foes should first ask themselves: what if she’s replaced by someone who (a) completely shares her views and (b) is more politically savvy and effective in legislating them? For this reason alone both sides are well-advised to wait until 2023, when we’ll have an idea of who might replace her. On the recall, the only rational choice for anyone is no.

iluvcaphill
iluvcaphill
2 years ago
Reply to  CKathes

I absolutely agree. I didn’t vote for Sawant in the last election for District 3, but I won’t be signing the recall and I won’t be voting in favor of it either. This should only be exercised for the worst of the worst. And while I disagree with some of her tactics or think they are productive, I do believe they were for policy reasons and not reasons of malice or bad faith.

Edward
Edward
2 years ago
Reply to  CKathes

That’s some straight up ridiculous logic. I don’t think you understand all the reasons why people want Sawant gone.

I signed the recall, and wouldn’t mind if the replacement ended up being someone with similar views. If they’re effective in legislating them, that means they’re able to work with others and come to reasonable compromises. Something Sawant with her Trumpian tactics seems incapable of doing.

Nearly every problem she claims to want to fix has been getting worse during her 8 year tenure.

Privilege
Privilege
2 years ago
Reply to  Edward

Cool, that’s what for elections are for.

D3 constituent
D3 constituent
2 years ago
Reply to  Privilege

Yep. Super cool that we have this legal and valid process to remove her from office after she conducted herself illegally.

C Doom
C Doom
2 years ago
Reply to  CKathes

Two points:

  • She opened up city hall to about 100 of her followers during lock-down pandemic, so they could organize and rally. That was a health risk, and if it had turned into a super-spreader event, could have made the City of Seattle liable.
  • She ‘led’ part of the march on Durkan’s house, which had been a privately kept address due to Durkan’s former work as a Federal prosecutor. Sawant was ‘in the lead’ that night, I watched it happen on streamers’ video, she gave a speech which encouraged the behavior.

Neither of these actions is conduct that belongs on the City Council. Both were reckless, frightening actions taken to help incite an angry mob.

deo
deo
2 years ago
Reply to  CKathes

There is no such thing as “mildly-illegal”. She absolutely broke the law and endangered people.

CKathes
CKathes
2 years ago
Reply to  deo

Sure there is. Jaywalking and littering are “mildly illegal.” First-degree homicide is not. And Sawant didn’t endanger anyone. People decided on their own whether to enter the building (personally I wouldn’t have, but millions of people last summer calculated that the cause was worth the risk and this was just one such event out of many nationwide).

RWK
RWK
2 years ago
Reply to  CKathes

You neglect to mention that Sawant was a leader in the march to Jenny Durkan’s home, thereby violating her privacy as a former federal prosecutor, and endangering her life.

C Doom
C Doom
2 years ago

While I certainly can appreciate wanting Sawant gone, I feel this is a bad approach for a couple of reasons.

If she beats the recall it gives her side armor for 2023 – and may dissuade a good candidate from running.

If she gets recalled she can run again and win.

I’m not sure what the recall effort gets us, other than a nice time out for her more over-the-top bat-crapping she’s done in the last couple of years. That’s nice, in a way.

But I worry in the long term and short it will energize her followers, similarly to how Amazon dumping money into a PAC that funded Egan Orion energized her supporters.

She’s a demagogue and a rabble-rousing speechifying idiot who ignores D3’s actual problems while she grandstands for The Socialist Alternative and plays up to her very militant, very angry base of supporters. DON’T LET THE RULING CLASS DEFEAT OUR REVOLUTION. I can see the plastered phone poles already.

HJBRIDGERII
HJBRIDGERII
2 years ago
Reply to  C Doom

Please don’t turn your back on Seattle and on the issues of this recall! This recall is crucial for Seattle and the wellbeing of its citizens. She broke the law. You may think they are minor, but they aren’t and they will get worse.

The recall process was the first Article written in our State Constitution, our founders of Washington gave that power to the people immediately and was detailed further in Article 33 as well as amended by the People in the 1970’s.

All Power to the People
All Power to the People
2 years ago

Well, I guess we know whose side you’re on, publishing a free advertisement for them above the fold. Can’t say as I’m surprised, all things considered.

HJBRIDGERII
HJBRIDGERII
2 years ago

It’s actually called unbiased journalism. If you didn’t realize, most of the articles were leaning heavier in favor of Sawant until CHS was called out on it by several people, including myself. Their job as journalists is to report the news as it becomes available, with an unbiased opinion, and they usually weigh the story based on what is important to their readership and the areas they serve and place it above the proverbial fold.

All Power to the People
All Power to the People
2 years ago
Reply to  HJBRIDGERII

Yes yes, I get it – propaganda works.

Tom
Tom
2 years ago
Reply to  HJBRIDGERII

Everyone is biased just like you. Nobody forces you to come here. You can always choose to only consume Fox News.

Caphiller
Caphiller
2 years ago

This article is the least pro Sawant I’ve ever read on this site.

Billy
Billy
2 years ago

I’d hate to see Sawant gone. She truly cares about Capitol Hill, hardly a week goes by when she’s not out talking to folks in our local parks, meeting with our local small business owners or enjoying a coffee or drink while supporting locally owned establishments. In short, she really cares about us.

[oo[oo
[oo[oo
2 years ago
Reply to  Billy

LOL ok

Up is down
Up is down
2 years ago
Reply to  Billy

And she’ll even bring you a nickle if your toof falls out and you put it under your pillow.

C Doom
C Doom
2 years ago
Reply to  Billy

I live in D3. She cares not one bit about us, only the subset of us who participate in OUR REVOLUTION AGAINST THE RULING CLASSES.

Sorry, D3 is not your cosplay theater. We need actual problem solving, not mindless sloganeering.

Jeremiah
Jeremiah
2 years ago
Reply to  Billy

Hysterical. LOL. Are you her public relations director?

Anoninseattle
Anoninseattle
2 years ago
Reply to  Billy

I live in the Leschi area (the non fun side that doesn’t get the pretty water views) and have literally never seen her. This whole time. We live in the same neighborhood, apparently, and yet nope, never. And I’m every where in the central district, in local parks, supporting our local businesses, and being out and about.

I’ve seen Pamela Banks wandering about, I’ve seen Egan Orion, never her.

D3 isn’t *just* Capitol Hill, you know that right? She has lots of other constituents she’s supposed to be answerable to, that may want the occasional ear of their city council representative; not just those on Capitol Hill most sympathetic to her personal ideological leanings.

That said, this recall is dumb. It will fail, it will give her even more ammo to rail on how she’s a target of big business and she stands up for the little guys, and that will make it even harder to recruit someone viable that wants to run against her.

I’m not getting involved either way, I wish the recall people had just continued to let her do her thing, continue to provoke strong reactions, while laying the ground work to recruit and develop a much better candidate to challenge her in 2023.

RWK
RWK
2 years ago
Reply to  Billy

If she “truly cares about Capitol Hill,” why are there numerous comments on this blog attesting to the fact that she never responds to constituent’s concerns.

I will be voting for the recall, because the charges against her are valid, but also because she is obnoxious, selfish, arrogant, and divisive.

Fairly Obvious
Fairly Obvious
2 years ago
Reply to  RWK

If she “truly cares about Capitol Hill,” why are there numerous comments on this blog attesting to the fact that she never responds to constituent’s concerns.

If you think a dozen anonymous user handles commenting on a neighborhood blog should drive the political narrative, there’s no hope for our country.

Ebeb
Ebeb
2 years ago
Reply to  Billy

Yeah she really cared about all the residents of D3 who were stuck in CHOP zone last summer. I emailed her almost weekly during that mess and got no response. She is a disaster and needs to go.

Phil
Phil
2 years ago

I am so tired of Sawant and her Che Guevarra cosplay and have signed for the recall, but if you see all the huge apartments popping up around the central district it’s fairly safe to say she’s here to stay. It’s the younger, more “progressive” millennials who live in the district for a while who pushed her victory last time. Stupid Amazon.

Jansen
Jansen
2 years ago
Reply to  Phil

Yeah it’s much better to have neoliberal cosplay. She is nothing like Che but I guess you’re all about bad faith stuff.

Privilege
Privilege
2 years ago

Is this the future you want, where every legit election ends up in a recall because the group that lost couldn’t mobilize enough voters or convince anyone with, I don’t know, actual policies in the election?

Seriously, if you don’t like them, vote them out. Run people with better ideas. Except for legit corruption or super moral failings, recalls are just bad actors adding more chaos to an already chaotic time.

Like, consider the people who are mostly behind this recall effort, and think really hard if you want to be working with them on any issue.

Edward
Edward
2 years ago
Reply to  Privilege

consider the people who are mostly behind this recall effort, and think really hard if you want to be working with them on any issue.

It’s precisely rhetoric like this that I’m so tired of. Being against something just because your opponent is for it. It’s an excuse for not having to think. It’s an excuse to not have to challenge yourself. It’s so typical of Trumpers and “Sawantists”.

Yep, there may be some shitty right wingers giving some money to the recall effort, but I’m more than happy to work with an opponent to achieve common goals.

RWK
RWK
2 years ago
Reply to  Privilege

I’m so tired of the pro-Sawant rhetoric claiming that “millionaires and billionaires” are behind the recall effort. That’s just plain false, and they know it, but unfortunately a lot of leftists buy it.

Crow
Crow
2 years ago
Reply to  RWK

As a moderate Democrat who has never voted for a Republican (okay except as insurance commissioner or prosecuting attorney in one instance) I am totally for her recall, but I must say anyone who has owned a house and had a job over the past 10 years in Seattle, is a millionaire.

Jansen
Jansen
2 years ago

No she’s not. Why are people so bad faith about Israel?

Russ
Russ
2 years ago

Prediction – Sawant recall goes forward, recall is successful and city council appoints Nikita Oliver following their city wide loss for Position 9

Blobbo
Blobbo
2 years ago
Reply to  Russ

Nikita Oliver would be a huge improvement.

Agree with her or disagree with her, but she cares about her community, unlike Sawant.

district13tribute
district13tribute
2 years ago
Reply to  Russ

Pretty sure Oliver lives in District 2. More likely Zach DeWolf would be appointed. He ran last time and was endorsed by Mosqueda who will most likely be council president next year.

Jansen
Jansen
2 years ago

I will not support this silly republican hitjob. Nor will any of my neighbors.

Blobbo
Blobbo
2 years ago
Reply to  Jansen

There are pretty much no Republicans in District 3 who are the only people who can sign.

Tom
Tom
2 years ago
Reply to  Blobbo

That’s not true with Broadmoor (28% for Trump in 2020) and Madison Park. District 3 has 74,000 voters. Assume 10% overall voted for Trump and they hate Sawant’s guts, that’s already 7,400 signatures.

HJBRIDGERII
HJBRIDGERII
2 years ago
Reply to  Tom

Please provide your source of “facts”.

Tom
Tom
2 years ago
Reply to  HJBRIDGERII

Broadmoor 28% for Trump in 2020, 25% in 2016.
https://www.kuow.org/stories/seattle-precincts-with-the-most-trump-voters-they-re-not-all-what-you-d-expect

74,921 registered voters in District 3 in 2019.
https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2019/11/8-1-as-county-makes-legendary-victory-official-sawant-back-to-business-at-seattle-city-hall/

Yes, there are a bunch of Democrats and moderates signing the recall but conservatives also make up a big part of signers. You only need 10,000 signatures.

Brian N.
Brian N.
2 years ago
Reply to  Tom

Tom, my man did you even attempt to fact check your assumptions?

The most “anti-Sawant” parts of D3, the voting precincts East of MLK and North of E Aloha, voted for Trump at a ~6.4% rate. This translates to a whopping ~1,280 votes for Trump vs ~20,000 votes for Biden in said precincts. Unsurprisingly the overall D3 voting rate for Trump drops down into the 5% range as you move further West and begin incorporating Capitol Hill’s voting results. The district only netted ~4,000 votes for Trump meaning there’s a whole bunch of Biden supporters signing this petition. It’s time to move past the lazy and played out narrative that only Trump voters “hate Sawant’s guts.”

A substantial portion of center left Democrats, myself included, voted for Biden, are ardent supporters for climate change, human rights, expanding the ACA, enhancing consumer protections, investing in our public school systems, etc. yet detest Sawant’s inflammatory approach to politicking and her focus on building a national movement at the cost of meaningful outreach to her constituents. To us she’s Trump on the other side of the coin, representing what’s wrong in our present “me first, scorched earth” political environment.

That said, as AnoninSeattle asserts above, this recall is a dumb move and will only embolden Sawant when this ballot measure inevitably fails. Energy and money would be better spent laying the groundwork for 2023.

Tom
Tom
2 years ago
Reply to  Brian N.

Where did I say the “only” people signing are Trump supporters? Where did you see the district had 4,000 voters for Trump? I couldn’t find the breakdown. It still wouldn’t surprise me conservatives were the majority of the signers. Some of them might have sat out and didn’t vote in 2020. They don’t have a strong negative opinion towards Biden but they do with Sawant.

Brian N.
Brian N.
2 years ago
Reply to  Tom

Here’s a couple useful data sources:

  1. NY Times 2020 Presidential Election Precinct Results: An Extremely Detailed Map of the 2020 Election Results: Trump vs. Biden – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
  2. Seattle Times 2019 City Council Precinct Results by District:What are the political lines in your Seattle neighborhood? See where council candidates did best, worst. | The Seattle Times

I get it, it’s easier to label the majority of signees as the boogeyman but again, it’s out of touch with reality, and is straight from the Trump/Sawant political playbook.

You and I likely see eye-to-eye on most political positions/policy ideas and in 2023 I hope we elect a council member that unifies us along our commonalities rather than divides us against our differences.

Crow
Crow
2 years ago
Reply to  Brian N.

In my Madrona precinct, it was around 158 votes for Biden and 9 for Trump. But I bet more than 50% of those voters will vote Yes on the recall.

CD Neighbor
CD Neighbor
2 years ago
Reply to  Tom

@ Tom – From what I can tell you’ve way, way overestimated….. there were and unless I’ve made transcription errors, 3,946 votes for Trump in all of district 3 in 2020….

This information is freely available from King County, which has a spreadsheet of all voting totals by precinct, all you have to do (which I did) is match up a list of precincts in D3 with their respective votes for Trump and total them up.

So even if all of the Trump voters signed, you’d still need 1.5X more non-Trump voters to get to 10,000… so much for it being a grand republican/conservative conspiracy.

If you’d like to do your own count feel free
https://data.kingcounty.gov/Voting-Elections/November-2020-General-Final-Precinct-Results/2824-fjrn/data

Tom
Tom
2 years ago
Reply to  CD Neighbor

How have I way overestimated? After seeing the last 4 years, 3,946 in the district still voted for him. These are hardcore far-right people. If they can’t stand Biden, there is no way they wouldn’t take every opportunity to get rid of someone who is far more liberal. There aren’t only 3,946 Republicans in the district. Adding to that number, there are Republicans who don’t think Trump deserves another 4 years but they can’t stand Sawant. If the recall requires 20,000, 30,000 signatures and gets them, then ok, most of the signers are Democrats. But we are talking about 10,000. It is quite possible 4,000-6,000 of them are Republicans.

CD Neighbor
CD Neighbor
2 years ago
Reply to  Tom

Lol….. now you’re backing off – you’ll recall your estimate was 7,400 in your first post – or 10% of all of the registered voters in D3 as of 2019…..

That would mean the almost twice as many people as voted Republican took the time to sign a petition. If they exist and they couldn’t rouse themselves to vote in the first place how likely does it seem that they would go to the trouble of signing the petition….. if they were so concerned that she not win her seat again these mythic voters could have just voted… 3454 votes would have tipped the scales enough to defeat her. But then again perhaps they aren’t real.

Voter turnout was extremely high in 2020… up to 90% in areas of King County, and I’ll bet D3 was one of them. So that would mean in that last 10% that may not have voted nearly half of them would have to be Republicans, which seems highly unlikely…. as only 5% of the 90% who did voted that way. If we figure that non-voters were similarly distributed that would only add around 370.

I suppose you could be cynical and figure that all of the non-voters just didn’t bother because they arch conservatives and knew they couldn’t win… but there are many reasons to doubt that.

Tom
Tom
2 years ago
Reply to  CD Neighbor

10% of 74,921 registered voters in district 3 being Republican wasn’t an unreasonable assumption when some areas on Capitol Hill were above 20% Trump in 2020.

CD Neighbor
CD Neighbor
2 years ago
Reply to  Tom

Sorry but the actual numbers clearly say it *was* an unreasonable assumption…

Jeremiah
Jeremiah
2 years ago
Reply to  Jansen

“Nor will any of my neighbors” LOL

tammy jo
tammy jo
2 years ago

Our family stands with Kshama.

Brad
Brad
2 years ago

signed the recall. I hope it makes it onto the ballot

Mental Health Services Consumer
Mental Health Services Consumer
2 years ago

I’d be worried if I were supporting the recall and wanted to be on the November ballot. With petitions like these, you ideally want to get twice as many signatures as you actually need to account for duplicates, ineligible voters, etc. For a recent example, Compassion Seattle made the 200 percent goal. Granted, that’s city-wide but you still need that buffer.

Is it possible that recall petitioners have reached their ceiling? They’ve been gathering signatures since April. We’ll see!