Seattle Nice: Is Seattle Still in its Backlash Era?
We discuss the upcoming election, which pits progressive challenger Alexis Mercedes Rinck against incumbent Tanya Woo, appointed by the city council in January.
By Erica C. Barnett
The 2024 general election for a citywide seat on the Seattle City Council will most likely pit UW state policy planner Alexis Mercedes Rinck against six-month Position 8 incumbent Tanya Woo. Woo was part of the centrist class of 2023 candidates who argued that the previous, more progressive city council had supported dangerous policies, like "defund the police," that contributed to problems like homeless encampments, "open-air" drug use, and an exodus from the Seattle Police Department. (Once more, for the record, Seattle never defunded the police department.)
Woo didn't win her race for Council District 2 last year, but the new city council wasted no time in appointing her to citywide Position 8, previously held by progressive council member Teresa Mosqueda, who had moved on to the King County Council.
The Position 8 race will be on the ballot in a Presidential election year, which tend to draw out more progressive voters (and more voters in general) than odd-year local elections. On the other hand, Seattle's new, more conservative council is still getting settled, and voters may not be ready yet for the inevitable backlash to the backlash. (Backlash/counterbacklash elections being an eternal cycle in Seattle politics.)
So, on this week's episode of Seattle Nice, we asked: Can a progressive challenger beat a member of the Class of 2023? Or are voters still waiting to see if the latest proposals to lock more people in jail, banish people accused of certain crimes from large swaths of the city, and renege on minimum-wage promises made to workers 10 years ago are effective? Listen to our lively discussion on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.