D3 turnout continues to lead the turnout pack — the overall Seattle trend looks soft

The first ever District 3 election will be remembered as one of the most expensive knock-down, drag-out fights in Seattle City Council history. In the final days of the race, the two D3 candidates and their financial backers are putting a lot of time and money into getting out the vote and overstuffing your mailbox. If you haven’t done so already, skim through CHS election coverage, fill in your ballot, slap a stamp on it, and drop it in the mail by Tuesday.

One of those mailers from the Pamela Banks campaign is getting some extra attention for using stock photos to portray supporters of City Council member Kshama Sawant. As the Seattle Times reported, one picture from a stock photo service is titled “serious young man blank expression.” The mailer has some harsh criticism for Sawant, including by former East Precinct Advisory Committee chair Stephanie Taschida, who says Sawant isn’t interested in addressing gun violence.

Sawant’s campaign materials have focused on calling out Banks for her pro-business backers, both direct and indirect through independent expenditures. The Hospitality PAC recently reported spending $19,000 to support Banks and District 1 candidate Shannon Braddock, according to state Public Disclosure Commission records. Another group, Neighbors for Banks, recently spent $18,000 of its $23,000 on get out the vote mailers and calls. The pro-Sawant group ProgressiveSeattlePAC has raised nearly $23,000.

Candidates are prohibited from having any direct interaction with independent expenditure groups. Banks said she opposes the group that’s rallied behind her and called on Sawant to do the same. Sawant has refused, arguing her union-backed PAC funded by workers is not the same as the pro-Banks group.

The campaigns are doing just fine raising money on their own. Direct contributions to the Sawant campaign continue to soar, pushing her total amount raised to nearly $430,000. Banks trails behind with $382,000 raised as of Friday, according to City campaign contribution data.

Banks is attempting to close an 18-point primary deficit. The results of any polling going on in the district has been kept quiet. The CHS District 3 Mood Meter remains neutral for both candidates — though the splits are telling with strong positives and negatives and almost nobody in the middle for Sawant.

Both campaigns have been waging a war of words over who has taken the more righteous path to making District 3 the richest City Council race this year. And despite the back-and-forth over business contributions, both candidates have tried to court small business votes in the final month of the campaign. Sawant drew the most attention in calling for a small business rent control as Banks proposed creating a small business lending program.

Recently, the candidates sparred over a comment Banks made in an interview, in which she said Sawant lacked an understanding of Seattle’s African American community. Sawant confronted her about it in a KUOW debate, claiming Banks was implying an immigrant wasn’t qualified to represent the district, a claim Banks strongly rejected.

While District 3 includes a slew of neighborhoods, both campaigns are burning the midnight oil at their respective Capitol Hill headquarters. Sawant’s Socialist Alternativealigned staff have been working out of a 10th Ave E house for several months while largely Democratic Banks staff moved into an office above Little Uncle at 15th and Madison.

The campaigns will stay close to Capitol Hill for their election night parties, as well. Banks will take over 18th Ave E U’s Tougo Coffee and Bannister while Sawant will be at her usual party spot inside Melrose Market Studios.