Wide field of candidates jostle for position in initial results for Seattle council primary

Results are in for all seven Seattle City Council districts from the August primary election.

With 45 total candidates registered to run this year, the field is as crowded as it’s ever been. And of the seven districts up for a vote in 2023, incumbents have announced they won’t be running in four: Lisa Herbold in District 1, Kshama Sawant in District 3, Alex Pedersen in District 4, and Council President Debora Juarez in District 5.

Here’s where the vote tallies stand as of Tuesday evening.

District 1

Eight candidates are running to replace incumbent Councilmember Lisa Herbold in District 1. Herbold first took office in 2016, and last won reelection by a 55.7% to 43.9% margin in 2019. She announced she would not be running for reelection last December, stating that she felt “it’s time to do my part to create an open seat election in District 1.”

Of the eight candidates in the August primary, Maren Costa and Rob Saka are leading the pack. Trailing behind are Phil Tavel and Preston Anderson.

District 2

Two challengers are running against incumbent Tammy Morales, who is running for re-election. Her challengers are Green Party steering committee co-chair Margaret Elisabeth and community organizer Tanya Woo.

Of the three candidates in the August primary, Morales and Tanya Woo are leading challenger Margaret Elisabeth by a wide margin and are on track to face off in the November General Election.

District 3

With Kshama Sawant not running for re-election, the field of candidates for District 3 is currently at nine candidates. The candidates include actor Shobhit Agarwal, genderqueer actor Ry Armstrong, Seattle LGBTQ+ Commission co-chair Andrew Ashiofu, cannabis business co-founder Alex Cooley, public defender Robert Goodwin, cannabis business co-founder Joy Hollingsworth, deputy prosecutor Efrain Hudnell, Executive Director of the Transportation Choices Coalition Alex Hudson and perennial candidate Asukaa Jaxx.

Of the nine candidates in the August primary, Joy Hollingsworth and Alex Hudson are leading the pack. Trailing behind in third is Bobby Goodwin.

District 4

Four candidates are vying to replace current Councilmember Alex Pedersen in District 4. Pedersen is one of four City Council incumbents who are not running for another term. He announced his decision in January, saying it would enable his team to focus on serving the community rather than campaigning this year. Pedersen was elected to District 4, which covers much of northeast Seattle, in 2019. He will finish his time on the council after one term.

Of the four candidates in the primary, Ron Davis and Maritza Rivera are leading the group, with Ken Wilson in third.

District 5

District 5 has the most candidates in Seattle’s City Council primary, with 10 competing to replace outgoing Council President Debora Juarez, who is not seeking re-election after the end of her term.

Juarez was elected as the first representative of District 5 in 2015, with 64% of the vote, and was re-elected in 2019 with a 60% majority.

“It has been an honor to serve the city I love, with good people who care as deeply about it as I do,” Juarez said.

Of the 10 candidates, Cathy Moore and CrisTiana ObeySumner are leading, with Nilu Jenks and Justin Simmons trailing behind.

District 6

Five candidates are currently running in District 6 as they take on incumbent Councilmember Dan Strauss. Strauss was elected in 2019 with 56% of the vote.

Of the six total candidates in the August primary, Strauss and Pete Hanning are leading the pack, and trailing behind are Shea Wilson and Victoria Palmer.

District 7

Five candidates are running against incumbent Andrew Lewis in District 7. Lewis was elected in 2020 and is running for another term. Before being Councilmember Lewis was an assistant city attorney. Lewis says he wants to continue to focus on renovating public parks and setting up robust park ranger services.

Of all six candidates, Lewis and Bob Kettle are leading and will likely face off in the November General Election. Trailing behind are Olga Sagan and Aaron Marshall.