Tag Archives: elections

Gloves come off in District 3 cash battle as Bowers first to have Democracy Voucher cap lifted

Posted on by
1

Bowers at a recent “Coffee with Logan” session (Image: Logan for Seattle)

The battle over District 3’s seat on the Seattle City Council is the city’s most expensive. Some of that money — $75,000 of it, to be exact — is why candidate Logan Bowers has achieved a milestone first for the district. Bowers is now the first D3 Democracy Voucher recipient to be released from the program’s fundraising cap.

“With the latest round of Democracy Vouchers currently being processed, I’ll hit the $75k limit,” Bowers explained to CHS. “By raising $76k herself through last month alone, Kshama has pushed the price tag on a fair election even higher.” Continue reading →

Can DeWolf win District 3 running against ‘homelessness, rising housing costs, anti-worker values, regressive taxes’ — and not Sawant?

Posted on by
25


When Zachary DeWolf took the mic at Tougo Coffee on Yesler Way to announce his candidacy for Seattle City Council District 3 Tuesday morning, he made sure to make one thing clear. “I’m not running against whoever is in office,” he said, flanked by his husband, friends, and community leaders including Tunny Vann from the Port of Seattle and Sokha Danh of the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation Development Authority.

With his candidacy, DeWolf, a citizen of the Chippewa Cree Nation, the first out gay Seattle Public Schools board member, former Capitol Hill Community Council president and program manager for regional homelessness agency All Home King County, joins an already-crowded race to dethrone incumbent Sawant, who is running for a third term.

During his speech, DeWolf posited that his opponent was not Sawant, but rather “homelessness, rising housing costs, anti-worker values, regressive taxes and fees.”

Still, he also said “we need to ask ourselves if any of us are better off than we were eight years ago or if any of our community’s problems have been solved during that time. I also believe we need a leader who is uncompromising and absolute in their commitment to listen to their constituents rather than allow their own personal politics to set their agenda. While it might be easier to deliver soundbites or yell our problems away, we simply don’t have time for that anymore,” which reads as a critique of Sawant, who has been charged by opponents and critics of choosing rallies over results, her Socialist Alternative organization over D3 constituents.

Continue reading →

DeWolf, first openly gay person on Seattle school board and former Capitol Hill Community Council president, joins race for Sawant’s District 3 seat

Posted on by
35

(Image: Elect Zachary DeWolf)

Zachary DeWolf, Seattle Public Schools board member representing Central Seattle neighborhoods and former Capitol Hill Community Council president, has announced he will also join the race for Kshama Sawant’s seat on the Seattle City Council.

“I’ve been advocating for my neighborhoods for the past seven years and I think it is time we have a Council member who will also advocate for our neighborhoods and the critical needs of our neighbors,” DeWolf said in his announcement. “I want to continue to meet with people in every area of our district and hear what matters most to them. Those are the voices and memories that I will take to City Hall.”

DeWolf says he is the first openly gay person to be elected to Seattle’s school board. Continue reading →

In 2020, Washington primary vote on presidential candidates will finally matter

Posted on by
1

Finally in 2020, the Washington primary will matter as Democratic leaders voted this weekend to utilize a primary to allocate the state’s presidential delegates.

“Democrats in Washington are ready for the big show in 2020,” state Democratic Party Chair Tina Podlodowski said in a statement. “We look forward to more presidential candidate attention and visits, increasing voter and activist engagement.” Continue reading →

Last day to tell Washington Democrats how you want to pick a presidential candidate in 2020

Posted on by
2

Today is the final day to add your $0.03 and vote on how the Washington Democrats should change the way they choose a presidential nominee:

Democrats in Washington State have traditionally held caucuses to vote for presidential nominees. That could change this year. Changes in DNC rules are requiring the Washington State Democratic Central Committee (WSDCC) to reevaluate some of its procedures. At the same time, changes in Washington state’s official primary process have given the WSDCC the opportunity to select either a primary or a caucus to allocate delegates for Democratic presidential candidates. We want to hear from you about whether you would choose a primary or a caucus, and — if you feel like sharing — your reasons for preferring one option over the other. That way the committee members of the WSDCC can make a more informed decision about which process to use.

You can choose and comment through April 4th here at waelectioncenter.com.

You can review the full plans here: Hybrid Primary-Caucus Proposal (PDF)  | . Full Caucus Cycle (PDF)

Washington, meanwhile, is moving up its presidential primary to make the vote more relevant. The Washington State Democratic Central Committee will now choose how the party will utilize the primary vote in 2020. In 2016 and past presidential elections, Democrats have caucused to dole out the state’s delegates. The last time around, there were incredibly long lines — and a landslide victory for Bernie Sanders — on Capitol Hill. The primary in Washington has been meaningless enough that we’ve canceled in recent years. In 2016, CHS wrote about the logistical frustrations of the caucus process for Capitol Hill-area voters.

There’s plenty of confusion about what possible changes mean in 2020. We think this thread from Northwest Progressive Institute ‏sums it up best: Continue reading →

What will it take for Orion to outrace Sawant in D3? Business, bravery, and ‘a queer voice on council again’

Posted on by
12

Orion was introduced Tuesday by Aleksa Manila, “drug counselor by day, drag diva by night,” before his campaign announcement on Broadway

Walking through the Emerald City chaos of Broadway and its glorious mix of the glamour and the squalor of Seattle on a Tuesday morning is one thing. Holding a press conference to announce your candidacy for City Council at the corner of Broadway and Harrison in the middle of it all is quite another.

There is one thing for certain in the just-starting race for the District 3 seat at Seattle City Hall. The campaign will include two of the bravest politicians in the city. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce head Egan Orion challenging Sawant for City Council seat — UPDATE

Posted on by
26

(Image courtesy Egan Orion)

The field challenging Kshama Sawant for the District 3 Seattle City Council continues to grow as newly-hired Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce head Egan Orion joined the race this week.

Orion, who is also the administrator of the Broadway Business Improvement Area, has long been a fixture in Capitol Hill before taking on a role at the chamber. He began working with Seattle PrideFest, where he is now the executive director, in 2007 and has been organizing what he says is the largest volunteer-driven event in the district with PrideFest Capitol Hill since 2017.

When a sudden accident led the city to revoke a Capitol Hill festival’s license in 2017, Orion and his team quickly stepped in with less than two weeks to set up five blocks worth of programming, a seemingly insurmountable goal. Continue reading →

The King County election nobody* has heard about

Posted on by
Reply

You probably still have time to vote in a King County election that pretty much nobody has heard about.

The King County Conservation District works “directly with private landowners to care for the land and resources” that helps “farmers and other landowners voluntarily preserve and enhance our natural resources through cost-sharing, education and technical assistance.”

The district has an open seat with six candidates but to vote, you’ll need to request a ballot and have it postmarked by March 29th. King County voters can do that here.

Why bother? Take it away, King County Democrats:

The last few years have reinforced that we have to be engaged in every election, at every level. Local elections have a substantial impact on our daily lives. This is also where we build the bench of our future leaders. Let’s show ’em that Democrats vote every year, in every election!

Excellent work, citizen.

Tip of the farmer’s hat to The Stranger for letting us know about the election.

Nguyen makes run for District 3 with focus beyond Capitol Hill

Posted on by
2

(Image: Elect Ami)

The boundaries of District 3, of course, extend well beyond Capitol Hill. And the candidates to represent the district also extend beyond the names you might think of first.

Ami Nguyen, a public defender who calls Yesler Terrace home, sees her role as running for the Seattle City Council to represent people across the entire district — the Central District and Capitol Hill, yes, but Yesler Terrace, Mt Baker, Madrona, Leschi, Madison Park, and Montlake, too.

“When I set out to do this campaign, I told myself that’s the definitely the neighborhood I want to reach out to.” Continue reading →

CHS Pics | Faces from the District 3 campaign kickoffs

Posted on by
3

It is early, so very early in the race for District 3. The primary won’t be held until August and we won’t even know the final roster fo candidates for months. But the race is taking shape. It is most definitely not a two candidate show — meet Ami Nguyen, a public defender dedicated to representing all the people of District 3, not just Capitol Hill — but two of the strongest contenders — incumbent Kshama Sawant and challengers Logan Bowers —  held their campaign launches last week. CHS stopped through to see who showed up and ask why they support the candidates. Click through the galleries to see their answers. Continue reading →