One wrinkle for Hollingsworth at the inauguration was the D3 councilmember’s shirt — the pattern caused a Moiré pattern during the Seattle Channel broadcast
The Central District’s Joy Hollingsworth was one of five new faces — along with a familiar new leader for the group — Tuesday at the Seattle City Council’s 2024 inauguration ceremony.
“The fundamentals of our city have to be prioritized for us to continue to grow,” Hollingsworth said Tuesday as told a story about her experience with legendary basketball coach Lenny Wilkens. Hollingsworth thanked supporters and family, “a powerful village” that helped her through school, her storied career as an athlete, and her career, and into her new role in public office. She then listed her priorities including after school programs for kids, food banks and services for seniors, support for small businesses owners, daycare providers, and the “artists and creators of Capitol Hill.”
Despite a close primary contest, Joy Hollingsworth won the November general election for Seattle City Council District 3 by a 6-point margin against Alex Hudson. Her victory marks the first time a moderate, Seattle Times-endorsed candidate will represent District 3, which comprises Capitol Hill, the Central District, Madison Park, Montlake, and Eastlake.
Her victory is notable because she had one of the widest margins of victory in the city despite District 3 being the most progressive district in Seattle-wide elections (ex: 2021 Mayoral Election). Furthermore, she flipped this seat from Kshama Sawant, the most left-wing Seattle City Councilmember who held the seat for a decade before deciding to step aside this year to shift her focus to the creation of a new national political party.
Hollingsworth’s win is a part of what can be seen as an ideological shift in Seattle City Hall, represented by a shift from the previous 6-3 left-leaning majority to a new, veto-proof 7-2 moderate majority on the council with vacatingCouncilmember Teresa Mosqueda’s likely-moderate appointed replacement set to join the new group early next year.
2023 ELECTION
Hollingsworth declares victory, says ready to build on family legacy of three generations in the Central District by giving ‘everyone a voice’
Precinct-level maps showing results and turnout for the neighborhoods of District 3 reveal the results of a friendlier citywide political environment, lower turnout in progressive areas of the city, and crucially, large gains in the historically-Black Central District were at the core of her victory. Continue reading →
UPDATE 11/10/2023 9:00 PM: In a statement, Joy Hollingsworth thanked voters Friday night. “I am humbled and honored to be chosen by District 3 voters to represent our communities on the Seattle City Council,” Hollingsworth said. “As someone whose family has called this neighborhood home for three generations – raised in our district and grew up in its schools, community centers, and parks – I cannot wait to start serving you.”
In her declaration of victory, Hollingsworth said every neighborhood of D3 will have her ear at City Hall.
“From Capitol Hill, First Hill, Central District, Madrona, Eastlake, Montlake, North Capitol Hill, Madison Park, Madison Valley, Judkins, Leschi, Mt. Baker and Portage Bay — Everyone will have a voice,” she said.
With turnout reaching 45% in Friday’s count, Hollingsworth is set to finish with around 53% of the vote. Hudson appears to have done best with very late and Election Day voters — she tallied around 57% of the 6,600 or so ballots counted in Friday’s update.
The Friday 11/10 update
Candidate Hudson meeting the residents of D3 earlier in the campaign (Image: CHS)
UPDATE 11/10/2023 11:00 AM: Alex Hudson has conceded the race to Joy Hollingsworth.
“This morning, Seattle City Council District 3 candidate Alex Hudson called opponent Joy Hollingsworth to formally concede the race in Seattle City Council District 3, which includes Capitol Hill, First Hill and the Central District,” an update sent by the Hudson campaign reads.
“They had a short but friendly conversation during which Hudson congratulated Hollingsworth on her victory and offered her support and assistance going forward as Hollingsworth joins the City Council. Hollingsworth was gracious in accepting the concession and thanked Hudson for running a classy and substantive race.”
“This was a hard fought campaign, but also a civil and substantive one, and I want to publicly congratulate Joy on her victory,” Hudson said in the statement. “Of course it hurts to lose, but Joy ran a stellar campaign, and I have no doubt she will be a strong and effective representative for the people of District 3.” Continue reading →
Hollingsworth on Election Night at 14th Ave’s First AME Church
The second count of ballots in the District 3 race for the Seattle City Council knocked out a smaller chunk of the collected ballots than expected but the updated numbers have helped provide an even more clear look at where this race is likely to finish. Joy Hollingsworth has a commanding, probably insurmountable lead.
There have been no declarations of victory or concessions yet but Wednesday’s second day of ballot counting showed Alex Hudson’s expected strength with later, more progressive voters as she narrowed Hollingsworth’s lead to a just under 15-point gap, claiming the lion’s share of the more than 1,400 D3 ballots counted in the second update. Continue reading →
Already endorsed by Mayor Bruce Harrell, Hollingsworth has also added an endorsement from King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay to her roster. The Hudson camp, meanwhile, is hoping to max out on democracy vouchers to keep up
The Alex Hudson campaign says spending in the race for the District 3 seat on the Seattle City Council has reached a new level with her opponent opting to be released from the limitations of the city’s Democracy Voucher program
“We just got word yesterday that the City of Seattle has lifted the fundraising cap for our opponent,” the email sent by the Hudson campaign Tuesday afternoon reads. “That puts us at a significant financial disadvantage,” the fundraising pitch continues.
The Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission says candidate Joy Hollingsworth has been released from the “general spending limit.” The change makes the Hollingsworth campaign ineligible to receive any additional funding from Democracy Vouchers but the candidate is allowed to continue collecting vouchers “as a sign of support.” Collecting the certificates can also help kneecap an opponent’s fundraising.
The change comes as the candidates have been close to neck and neck in campaign contributions with Hollingsworth reporting around $187,000 in contributions and Hudson, $157,000 through the latest reporting. Continue reading →
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With the race for the District 3 seat on the Seattle City Council to replace veteran representative Kshama Sawant in the home stretch and ballots for the November 7th election hitting mailboxes this week, every question seems to come around to a single issue: public safety.
In last week’s debate at the Broadway Performance Hall, the candidates were asked to rate their feeling of safety in Seattle on a 1 to 10 scale.
“I’m at a 1,” Joy Hollingsworth said, choosing the lowest end of the range for a city she says has public safety concerns at the top of every campaign issues — homelessness, addiction, affordability, and, yes, crime.
“I don’t need to fear monger,” she said, saying she supports the Harrell administration’s plan to increase Seattle’s police force by more than 50%.
Her challenger tried to take a more Seattle approach. Alex Hudson refused to provide a number to the TV news reporters brought in by the Seattle City Club and the GSBA to moderate the D3 debate. Instead, the candidate attempted nuance. Depending on the day, she said, she sees too much disorder. Her solutions? In her minute, Hudson described a Seattle social safety net that extended far beyond the walls of the East Precinct with shelters and housing “making sure everyone can come inside,” addiction treatment at “health hubs,” and the creation of an “effective alternative response to police officers.”
Pressed again, Hudson still would not put a number on her public safety rating for the city. She said crime left her sad and disappointed, “sometimes afraid,” but she refused to put a number on that fear. Continue reading →
Candidate Hudson meeting the residents of D3 (Image: CHS)
There are forums and meet and greets, platforms and media releases. But you can also learn a lot about a candidate by watching the way they meet a voter and ask for their support. Saturday, CHS hit the pavement around District 3 as candidates Joy Hollingsworth and Alex Hudson worked with their campaign teams to walk the neighborhoods and meet voters — and make their cases for election.
With general elections swiftly approaching, Seattle City Council candidates Joy Hollingsworth and Alex Hudson spent this past Saturday conducting door-to-door canvassing throughout District 3. Hollingsworth’s deep community roots play to one strategic advantage through her knowledge of district-wide issues and ability to relate to the community. She carried herself with confidence Saturday and didn’t shy away from introducing herself to walkers with golden retrievers passing by.
Hudson’s personality, on the other hand, is to meet individuals at their doorsteps. She didn’t hesitate when providing information about her skills or experience. She shares why she’s passionate about running, and listens to what concerns residents hold.
Hollingsworth was born and raised in the Central District, with a background in sustainability and community work. She says she is running on improving essential city services, creating tangible goals to measure progress, and amplifying voices of residents— not as a whole district, but by each neighborhood. She spent the earlier part of her Saturday morning canvassing with MLK Labor, which hosted a door-knocking event to support labor-endorsed Seattle candidates. After, she canvassed in the Denny Blaine area and met a couple who were on their wraparound porch. Continue reading →
The candidates to serve District 3 on the Seattle City Council are divided on their support for the legislation passed last week that will open the way for a Seattle Police Department crackdown on public drug use on the city’s streets while doing more to emphasize diversion and treatment. One would have sided with current D3 rep Kshama Sawant in unsuccessfully opposing the bill, the other says her personal experience and family loss would make it impossible for her not to vote yes on the legislation. Continue reading →
While Kshama Sawant has been criticized for not being more present in her district while she focuses on issues of national and sometimes international importance, she has regularly brought City Hall into the neighborhoods she represents. This week, the District 3 representative will hold an official Seattle City Council hearing on her proposed rent control legislation to Broadway.
Wednesday night, Sawant’s renters’ rights committee will convene inside Broadway’s All Pilgrims Church for a public hearing on the long-awaited rent control proposal.
“Our legislation—if passed without any amendments in favor of greedy corporate landlords—would limit rent increases to no more than the inflation rate,” Sawant’s office writes in the announcement for the session. “It would cover all rental homes in the city, regardless of type, size, location, or building date. It is a trigger law—it will go into effect as soon as the deeply unjust statewide ban on rent control is lifted.”
CHS reported here on Sawant’s final big push for rent control before she leaves office later this year after a decade on the council after succeeding in two other major legislative efforts that will mark her time leading the district: the $15 minimum wage and the so-called Amazon tax. Continue reading →
One of the local political groups with the broadest representation across the area around Capitol Hill and the Central District has opted not to endorse a candidate in the crowded August primary race for the District 3 seat on the Seattle City Council but did rally to back candidates in nearby districts and races including the hotly contested battle to represent downtown Seattle at City Hall.
The 43rd District Democrats Tuesday night failed to endorse any of the eight D3 candidates hoping to make it through the August 1st top-two primary to replace Kshama Sawant. That’s not unusual. Continue reading →
