Seattle Transit Blog 2025 Endorsements
The following is our set of endorsements for the 2025 General Election. We didn't weigh in on every race. We focused on transit-related issues with candidates representing parts (or all) of Seattle. Feel free to comment on other races. Keep the discussion about the candidates and not other transit issues.
Mayor: Katie Wilson. While Bruce Harrell hasn't been a terrible mayor when it comes to transit, he has been poor on housing issues. Seattle is now more conservative than Spokane when it comes to allowing density. This not only pushes up the cost of housing but it makes transit worse. Katie Wilson will not only allow a lot more housing to be built but she is probably the strongest transit candidate we've had in the last fifty years. As head of the Seattle Transit Union she has shown great leadership in fighting for various transit projects. I've worked with her on relatively obscure, minor issues (e. g. the monorail fares) and she was obviously smart, very responsive and reasonable. She has open mind when it comes to projects that many leaders have been afraid to tackle (for example her comments on the streetcar).She is the clear choice for mayor.
Seattle City Council District 2: This is a very close call. Both Eddie Lin and Adonis Ducksworth are good candidates when it comes to transit. Ducksworth has more experience when it comes to transportation and the endorsement of the Amalgamated Transit Union (Local 587). Lin supports the streetcar, while Ducksworth doesn't. We agree the cost of the streetcar isn't the best use of SDOT funds so we endorse Ducksworth, but it is a very close call.
Seattle City Council District 8: This race isn't. Alexis Mercedes Rinck is a strong advocate for transit, Savage is not.
Seattle City Council District 9: Again, Dionne Foster is the clear choice. I would vote for a rock over Sara Nelson given her anti-transit positions. Dionne Foster is much better than a rock. She is a well qualified candidate with a wide range of endorsements and a strong pro-transit approach.
King County Executive: This one is very close. Both candidates are outstanding. There is very little difference in terms of policy. We give the edge to Claudia Balducci given her experience with transit issues, especially with Sound Transit. She can be criticized for letting the agency struggle, but unlike other board members she seems well aware of the problems and willing to consider alternatives. While Girmay Zahilay would be good, we feel that Balducci would be a little bit better.
Ballots need to be in by November 4th. Strongly consider using a drop box instead of mailing in, as the USPS may not post-mark your ballot in time.