Most Seattle Council races settle into winners

November 13, 2023 / 10:27 am

caption: Tammy Morales, Seattle City Council incumbent in District 2, makes an appearance at an election night party for Andrew Lewis on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, in Seattle.

Many Seattle City Council races were concluded over the weekend, after Friday's updated ballot count, with candidates conceding to their opponents.

Check latest 2023 Seattle Council election results

Joy Hollingsworth is now slated to join the Council in 2024. Alex Hudson conceded the race for Council District 3 on Friday.

In District 6, incumbent Councilmember Dan Strauss (52%) inched ahead of challenger Pete Hanning (48%) late last week. On Monday morning, Hanning called Strauss to concede the election.

"I called Dan this morning to congratulate him on his reelection," Hanning told KUOW Monday.

Strauss told The Seattle Times Friday that the win is a “humble honor.”

(In the Nov. 13, 2023 KUOW Daily Newsletter, it was stated that there were no official statements from Strauss or Hanning on the status of this race. Shortly after the newsletter was sent, Hanning confirmed that he had conceded. This post has been updated to reflect the most current information.)

Incumbent Councilmember Andrew Lewis conceded to challenger Bob Kettle on Friday. Kettle took about 51% of the vote, to Lewis' 49%.

2/ The City Council election results reflect voters' desire for a council that fosters a thriving, vibrant city through collaboration. I plan to focus on engaging with District 7 residents and working alongside fellow Councilmembers and the Mayor to enhance public safety...
— Kettle for Seattle (@Kettle4Seattle) November 11, 2023

3/ ...Expand public health capacity, restore public spaces, and increase affordable housing availability when I assume office. With hard work, Seattle has so much to be optimistic about.
— Kettle for Seattle (@Kettle4Seattle) November 11, 2023

Rob Saka had 54% of the vote in District 1 after Friday's updated ballot count. Maren Costa had 45%. He thanked Costa for her "strong campaign and gracious challenge." Saka will take over for Councilmember Lisa Herbold who is stepping down at the end of her term.

Cathy Moore immediately took a commanding lead in District 5 after the initial ballot count on Tuesday, and while she has shed a few percentage points since then, the results haven't budged much. Moore has 64% to challenger ChrisTiana ObeySumner's 35%.

The District 2 race between incumbent Councilmember Tammy Morales and challenger Tanya Woo remained close, however, Morales pulled ahead by a few hundred votes by the end of Friday's count. Woo's campaign sent an email to supporters Friday, urging them to track their ballots and check for any issues, like signature issues.

On Monday, Morales' campaign accepted the win, congratulated Woo on a "competitive race," and said she looks forward to working with new council members. As of Tuesday's count, Morales was defeating Woo by 427 votes and 51% of the vote. Woo had 49%.

"I know that these last four years have left many of our communities broken and divided," Morales said in a statement. "Representing a district of 105,000 people can be difficult and conflicting. There will always be differences in opinion, even strong and passionate disagreements. But what I know is that it will take all of us working together to address the challenges we face ... Whether I earn your support or not moving forward, I have listened to and learned from you. I hope to continue working on our shared goal of elevating disenfranchised voices and bringing them into City Hall."

I am honored and humbled to be re-elected by the voters of District 2 to continue serving our communities. Over the course of this campaign, we knocked 20,000 doors, made more than 5,000 calls, and worked with 200 amazing volunteers—from the bottom of my heart, thank you. pic.twitter.com/m2IwAcZpiK
— Tammy J. Morales (@TammyMoralesSEA) November 14, 2023

District 4's race between Maritza Rivera and Ron Davis is also still too close to call. Rivera has 50%, and Davis has 49%, as of Tuesday.

As of Tuesday's count, Rivera was defeating Davis by 262 votes.