(Image: Workers Strike Back)
Smith
Former District 3 representative on the Seattle City Council Kshama Sawant and her Workers Strike Back group are scheduled to announce a new “election campaign for public office” Monday morning but the socialist political leader is not targeting a return to Seattle City Hall.
At Monday’s press conference outside downtown Seattle’s Henry M. Jackson Federal Building, Sawant is expected to announce her bid to unseat District 9’s Adam Smith. The moderate Democrat has held the office representing Seattle’s Central District, South Seattle, and an area stretching from Bellevue to Federal Way since he was first elected in 1996.
Smith’s current term runs through 2026 meaning Sawant is getting an early jump on the effort.
The announcement comes as the socialist firebrand re-asserted herself at Seattle City Hall this spring leading protests against the City Council’s attempts to revise its ethics rules around conflict of interest policy. Sawant and Workers Strike Back celebrated Friday as the council bill was pulled after weeks of debate and criticism.
When Sawant ended her run at Seattle City Hall in 2023, she said her goal was to build Workers Strike Back into a national labor movement.
While Sawant was waiting for the Monday morning press conference to announce which office she would seek, clues include a “Kshama for Congress” filing for her E Yesler office submitted on May 27th.
Meanwhile, Seattle’s 2025 political season is in full swing with 27 campaigns for major offices including the mayor, the two citywide city council seats, and city attorney plus the race for King County Executive.
UPDATE: Here’s the announcement. It’s a doozy:
Kshama Sawant Announces Campaign for U.S. Congress Against Warmonger Adam Smith
Kshama Sawant, former socialist Seattle City Councilmember and co-founder of Workers Strike Back, stood this morning alongside fellow community organizers, rank-and-file union members, and socialists and announced her election campaign in Washington state’s ninth Congressional District, against warmongering incumbent, Congressman Adam Smith.
Smith, a former city prosecutor, served as the chair of the House Committee on Armed Services for the 2021-2022 session and has been critical of the Trump administration’s lack of support for Ukraine.
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Lol she can’t stand not getting attention. Look forward to her getting crushed.
I reject the centrist dummies that think “you need to act like the republicans and stop being woke and DEI all the time!!!!” when all they do is that shit for years with Hillary and Kamala and fail. Kamala LOVED the Bush and Cheney endorsement. That lost the election. Time to go back HARD LEFT. Go Kshama!!!!
Rep Smith is perhaps the most reasoned stalwart congressperson for the defense of Ukraine against Russian expansionism. I’ll be contributing generously to his 2026 campaign.
He was first elected 30 years ago. 30 years.
Someone who graduated from high school the year he was elected in on the cusp of turning 50.
Don’t you think that’s enough time?
Don’t you think there’s room for progressives in the Democratic party? I mean…the entire Democratic base has been loudly communicating it wants social democratic policies for 2+ decades now….
I notice your avatar is that of an old white guy, you do realize you are the **biggest problem America has at the moment,** right?
The Democratic Party collectively doesn’t believe in turnover or building a backbench to run for higher offices.
Unfortunately probably true. Doesn’t mean the back bench needs to be far- left “progressive ” wackos like Kshama Sawant.
Funny. Nearly 70 percent of district voters supported Smith in 2024, and even greater percentages in prior elections. Where is the groundswell for his removal? Certainly not from his constituents, who you would likely disqualify from your imagined Democratic base. He is also member of the Progressive House Caucus, so obviously has some progressive views. And when did having deep experience in one’s position disqualify a person from continuing to represent supportive constituents? And finally why don’t you make the right decision and refrain from attacking someone based on their race, gender and age? Isn’t that supposed to be a Progressive value after all.
You ever get a laugh out of how many deeply experienced Democrats die or sundown at the worst possible moments? Who fixes that problem? You don’t seem capable of ever thinking about it given the above post.
She needs to raise money, this is a race she can enter that will enable this.
Rep. Smith is also the most stalwart in his support of the war in Gaza, for good reason. Of the $1.6 million Smith collected for his 2024 re-election campaign: $444,964 came from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and defense contractors General Atomics, General Dynamics and Palantir.
she’s only interested in national politics, so please go for it
She will get nothing done in congress if elected except pissing off other congress people.
At least she won’t support Israel like Smith
Blowing shit up is the only play in her only playbook. Actual achievements? Zero.
She is going to get absolutely obliterated.
I would recommend anyone considering giving money to this campaign instead donate to NWIRP, Teen Feed, or any other non-profit doing work on behalf of marginalized communities so it can do some actual good.
I’d say the same for people wanting to donate to Smith. He doesn’t need it, find something more beneficial to use it for.
I agree with this take. Stay out of the money of it all for this race and give to organizations who need it.
100% agree.
I guess she found out that there’s not much money in being a failed podcaster.
Not in her wildest dreams… she may have managed the Hill, but she’ll never win over Bellevue.
I find it interesting that the 3 times she’s run for office (43rd state district, 3rd district and now 9th district) don’t have overlap for all three. Didn’t realize she was moving to be in a district.
Redistricting is a thing.
Absolutely love the Sawant haters melting down, poor babies.
Adam Smith is a staunch israel supporter who disapproves of protest and dissent.
Washington is better without that bald creep.
Also, you folks know know your ideology is rapidly getting flushed, right?
Sawant for congress, fuck Rachael Savage
partially correct – Sawant is very close to Trump in ideology on many things
riiight…cool story bro
both are pretty staunch advocates of state control of the economy
“both sides Boris”
Change your tag
you just say things sometimes Boris.
I think conservative Trump supporters are a dying breed and becoming unelectable.
One can wish, Smooth, but I think you are very wrong. Unless you mean like Seattle blue bubble.
IDK brother…The GOP is imploding as we speak. Literally. Elon won’t take Trumps calls and Elon has a few bucks for primaries.
The whole 2025 thing is over the top. Ignorant people vote brother. They got played.
Well fuck Rachel Savage yeah but fuck Sawant too.
Dude why?
Savage is for herself. Sawant is not for herself.
They are so far apart man.
I really wish that Sawant would just shut up and go away. Fat chance!
Why do you hate taxing the wealthy and building housing
Obviously, your not wealthy, but when you are please donate funds to homebuilding for the poor before the government forces you too through taxes .
Seriously? Trickle down? Mkay…Pretty clear where you stand.
She has that hilarious combination of low IQ and low EQ.
what’s “EQ”?
Honestly, people who hate those things should vote for Sawant ’cause then it’ll never get done. They’ll just be a lot of protests and yelling but very little legislating. It’s too bad her entering the race probably will dissuage a better challenger to Smith (who should’ve been gone long ago)
Is socialism, or communism, a better way to run the country??
Then what we have currently????
Does America support Robin Hood……?
Yes, it is. We are in an oligarchy now so.
the housing crisis in seattle exploded during her watch precisely from not building housing. remember her push to ban 400+ units of housing to keep a rich person concert venue (showbox)?
really? 50+ years flat wages didn’t? The influx making Seattle the fastest growing city for years didn’t either?
No! It was that Sawant!
Grow up man. Get educated.
The 9th Congressional District, a majority minority district, includes Seattle’s Central District, Leschi, Mt. Baker, Beacon HIll, Rainier Valley, Renton, Tukwila, Skyway, SeaTac, Federal Way, Kent and Auburn plus Mercer Island and Factoria.
And?….
Sawant running in WA-9 is the laugh I needed for the day.
(Note: this coming from someone who voted for her twice. Thankfully I learned my lesson eventually).