Historic Reversal: Katie Wilson Takes Seattle Mayor's Race in Latest Vote Count
Wed, 11/12/2025
Update November 12
New unofficial election results released today show a definitive shift in the Seattle Mayor’s race, confirming a victory for challenger Katie Wilson. The results, updated as of November 12, reflect the counting of additional ballots across King County, where total ballots processed now stand at 652,689, marking a 45.21% turnout among the 1,443,842 registered voters.
The updated figures reveal a dramatic reversal of the earlier trend which saw incumbent Bruce Harrell maintaining a lead.
Seattle Mayor's Race Determined
Katie Wilson has successfully surpassed Bruce Harrell in the latest count, concluding a closely watched race that tightened significantly in the days following Election Day.
In the City of Seattle, 279,525 ballots have now been counted, representing a 55.31% turnout of the 505,393 registered voters.
The revised totals show:
• Katie Wilson: 138,489 votes, capturing 50.19% of the vote.
• Bruce Harrell: 136,513 votes, accounting for 49.48%.
• Write-in votes totaled 911 (0.33%).
For comparison, just one week prior, on November 7, Bruce Harrell led with 52.64% (91,263 votes) over Katie Wilson's 46.93% (81,355 votes).
In other major city races updated as of November 12, Erika Evans continues to lead the City Attorney race with 177,699 votes (66.86%) over Ann Davison’s 87,480 votes (32.92%). Dionne Foster also holds a strong lead in Council Position No. 9 with 165,267 votes (62.73%).
This means an automatic recount is out of the question. Katie Wilson’s lead over Harrell is now mathematically insurmountable her campaign has pointed out, and Harrell’s office announced he would address the city at noon on Thursday, November 13.
Wilson has expressed gratitude to supporters, and said "we are thrilled by the latest vote drop." while waiting for Bruce Harrell to concede before making an official announcement.
Updated Results in Burien
The City of Burien has counted 12,846 ballots, showing a 42.18% turnout among its 30,454 registered voters. The outcomes for the four contested City Council positions solidify the leads of the current frontrunners:
|
Position |
Winning Candidate (Votes / Percentage) |
Opponent (Votes / Percentage) |
|
Council Position No. 1 |
Hugo Garcia (6,983 / 58.28%) |
Jessica Ivey (4,889 / 40.80%) |
|
Council Position No. 3 |
Sam Méndez (7,379 / 60.92%) |
Marie Barbon (4,672 / 38.57%) |
|
Council Position No. 5 |
Sarah Moore (7,891 / 64.97%) |
Gabriel Fernandez (4,195 / 34.54%) |
|
Council Position No. 7 |
Rocco DeVito (6,762 / 56.03%) |
Stephanie Mora (5,250 / 43.50%) |
Burien Proposition No. 1 remains rejected by voters, with 6,425 "No" votes (52.70%) compared to 5,767 "Yes" votes (47.30%).
34th Legislative District Totals
In the 34th Legislative District, the updated count shows 56,209 ballots processed, resulting in a 51.57% turnout of the 108,994 registered voters. Democratic candidates continue to hold overwhelming leads:
• State Senator: Emily Alvarado (Prefers Democratic Party) has secured 41,472 votes, representing 97.80% of the vote.
• Representative Position No. 1: Brianna K. Thomas (Prefers Democratic Party) leads with 40,720 votes, earning 97.85% of the vote.
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While these updated figures reflect a clear outcome in the mayoral contest and expanded leads in other key races, these totals are still preliminary and unofficial. The King County Elections office is scheduled to release updates each weekday until the final certification of results on November 25
Update November 11
The closely watched Seattle Mayor's race saw a crucial development in the latest unofficial results released November 11, 2025. Challenger Katie Wilson has successfully extended her lead over incumbent Bruce Harrell, moving beyond the razor-thin margin recorded the previous day.
Across King County, the total ballot count rose to 650,050, reflecting a 45.02% voter turnout among registered voters. This jump in processed votes further defined outcomes in contested city and legislative districts, including Seattle, Burien, and the 34th Legislative District.
Seattle Mayor: Wilson Widens Margin
The infusion of newly counted ballots in the City of Seattle has solidified Katie Wilson’s position at the top of the mayoral race.
As of the November 11 update, Wilson leads with 137,217 votes, or 50.08%. Bruce Harrell trails with 135,871 votes, accounting for 49.59%. This leaves Wilson with a lead of 1,346 votes, a decisive extension of her advantage.
This marks a significant increase from the November 10 update, which first showed Wilson pulling ahead. On November 10, Wilson led Harrell by just 91 votes (49.83% to 49.79%). The latest count reflects 277,860 ballots processed in Seattle.
Mandatory Recount Triggers
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Machine Recount:
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Margin between top two candidates is < 2,000 votes
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AND < 0.5% of total votes cast
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The cost of a recount is approximately $400,000.
In other key Seattle city races, leads have also increased:
• City Attorney: Erika Evans expanded her dominant lead, securing 176,386 votes (66.78%) over Ann Davison’s 87,161 votes (33.00%).
• Council Position No. 9: Dionne Foster now has 164,031 votes (62.65%), well ahead of Sara Nelson’s 96,906 votes (37.01%).
• Council Position No. 8: Alexis Mercedes Rinck maintains a commanding lead with 205,821 votes (81.30%).
Burien Results Hold Steady with Higher Turnout
In the City of Burien, the updated results confirm the outcomes of all four city council races, with 12,812 ballots counted, representing a 42.07% turnout.
The current unofficial totals for the Burien City Council are:
|
Position |
Winning Candidate |
Votes |
Percentage |
Opponent (Votes/Percentage) |
|
Council Position No. 1 |
Hugo Garcia |
6,954 |
58.24% |
Jessica Ivey (4,877 / 40.85%) |
|
Council Position No. 3 |
Sam Méndez |
7,356 |
60.89% |
Marie Barbon (4,663 / 38.60%) |
|
Council Position No. 5 |
Sarah Moore |
7,865 |
64.99% |
Gabriel Fernandez (4,178 / 34.52%) |
|
Council Position No. 7 |
Rocco DeVito |
6,729 |
55.96% |
Stephanie Mora (5,239 / 43.57%) |
Burien’s Proposition No. 1 continues to be rejected by voters, with 6,402 votes (52.67%) cast against it, versus 5,753 votes (47.33%) in favor.
34th Legislative District Totals
The 34th Legislative District, which includes parts of Seattle and Burien, now has a reported turnout of 51.34%, based on 55,956 ballots counted. The legislative races in this district remain overwhelmingly favorable for the Democratic candidates:
• State Senator: Emily Alvarado (Prefers Democratic Party) holds 41,282 votes (97.80%).
• Representative Position No. 1: Brianna K. Thomas (Prefers Democratic Party) holds 40,531 votes (97.85%).
Update November 10
In a dramatic turn following the processing of tens of thousands of additional votes, challenger Katie Wilson has officially overtaken incumbent Bruce Harrell in the tightly contested Seattle Mayor's race, according to unofficial election results updated November 10, 2025.
The shift reflects a significant surge in overall voter participation across King County. As of November 10, 637,372 ballots had been counted countywide, representing a 44.14% turnout among registered voters. This is a substantial increase from the 429,014 ballots counted just days earlier, as reported in the November 7 update.
Mayor’s Race Flips Margin
The most crucial change occurred in the City of Seattle, which saw its counted ballots jump from 175,739 as of the November 7 update to 272,041 by November 10.
On November 7, Bruce Harrell maintained a lead, holding 91,263 votes (52.64%) compared to Katie Wilson's 81,355 votes (46.93%). This lead of approximately 9,908 votes reflected a race that had been consistently tightening since the previous update (November 5, 2025), where Harrell’s lead decreased by about 2.4 percentage points.
However, the latest counting phase completely erased that advantage. The November 10 update shows:
• Katie Wilson now leads with 133,469 votes, or 49.83%.
• Bruce Harrell trails slightly with 133,378 votes, or 49.79%.
Wilson has pulled ahead by just 91 votes, highlighting the extremely narrow nature of the current results.
Other Key Seattle and Burien Races
As the counting progressed, leads in other major city and legislative races either solidified or expanded:
Seattle City Races:
• City Attorney: Erika Evans maintained and expanded her dominant lead. On November 7, she held 107,501 votes (63.90%) against Ann Davison's 60,320 votes (35.86%). By November 10, Evans' lead grew to 172,270 votes (66.63%) over Davison's 85,685 votes (33.14%).
• Council Position No. 9: Dionne Foster significantly increased her margin. On November 7, she led Sara Nelson 99,334 votes (59.52%) to 66,962 votes (40.12%). By November 10, Foster had 160,275 votes (62.52%) compared to Nelson's 95,203 votes (37.14%).
• Council Position No. 8: Alexis Mercedes Rinck continued to hold a commanding citywide majority, reaching 201,410 votes (81.26%) on November 10, up from 128,357 votes (79.86%) on November 7.
Burien City Races:
• In Burien, which reached 41.64% turnout by November 10, the results for City Council Position No. 7 saw Rocco DeVito maintain his lead, increasing his total from 4,308 votes (54.82%) on November 7 to 6,655 votes (55.94%) by November 10.
These updated figures, reflecting totals counted as of November 10, 2025, underscore the dynamic nature of vote counting, especially in close elections where late-arriving ballots often determine the final outcome.
Update November 7
Unofficial election results updated today, November 6, 2025, show a clear overall increase in ballots counted across King County, along with a notable tightening in the closely watched Seattle Mayor's race.
A total of 429,014 ballots have been counted for King County, reflecting a 29.71% voter turnout among the 1,443,842 registered voters as of Election Day, November 4, 2025.
Seattle Mayor’s Race Narrows
The contest for Seattle Mayor has shifted, with challenger Katie Wilson successfully closing the percentage gap against incumbent Bruce Harrell since the previous update.
In the latest totals:
• Bruce Harrell leads with 91,263 votes, accounting for 52.64% of the total.
• Katie Wilson holds 81,355 votes, or 46.93%.
• Write-in votes total 748, or 0.43%.
This data reflects 175,739 ballots counted in the City of Seattle.
For comparison, in the previous update (11/5/2025), Harrell led 53.84% to Wilson’s 45.69%. The current update shows Harrell’s lead decreasing by approximately 2.4 percentage points, confirming the trend of a tightening race.
In other key city races:
• The Seattle City Attorney race sees Erika Evans maintaining a strong lead with 107,501 votes (63.90%), well ahead of Ann Davison with 60,320 votes (35.86%).
• In Seattle Council Position No. 9, Dionne Foster leads with 99,334 votes (59.52%) over Sara Nelson, who has 66,962 votes (40.12%).
Burien City Council Races Decided
The City of Burien, with 8,340 ballots counted (representing 27.39% voter turnout among 30,454 registered voters), has seen outcomes determined in its Council races.
The winning candidates for Burien City Council positions are:
|
Position |
Winning Candidate |
Votes |
Percentage |
Opponent (Votes/Percentage) |
|
Council Position No. 1 |
Hugo Garcia |
4,352 |
55.81% |
Jessica Ivey (3,382 / 43.37%) |
|
Council Position No. 3 |
Sam Méndez |
4,639 |
58.86% |
Marie Barbon (3,200 / 40.60%) |
|
Council Position No. 5 |
Sarah Moore |
5,049 |
63.81% |
Gabriel Fernandez (2,825 / 35.71%) |
|
Council Position No. 7 |
Rocco DeVito |
4,308 |
54.82% |
Stephanie Mora (3,515 / 44.73%) |
Burien Proposition No. 1 is currently rejected, with 4,237 votes (53.26%) against and 3,718 votes (46.74%) in favor.
34th Legislative District Results
In the 34th Legislative District, where 36,658 ballots have been counted (33.63% registered voter turnout), Democratic candidates are running largely unopposed or facing only write-in challenges.
• State Senator: Emily Alvarado (Prefers Democratic Party) received 27,308 votes, capturing 97.94% of the vote.
• Representative Position No. 1: Brianna K. Thomas (Prefers Democratic Party) received 26,800 votes, earning 98.02% of the vote.
These updated figures illustrate the dynamic nature of vote counting in King County, where the increased tally has immediately impacted the margins of closely contested races like the one for Seattle Mayor.
The movement in the Seattle Mayor’s race is similar to watching a tug-of-war where one side starts strong but the opposing team slowly pulls back inch by inch with every added bundle of votes, showing that even a significant early lead isn't insurmountable in the final count.
Update November 6
Seattle Results (Updated November 6, 2025)
The City of Seattle had counted 175,739 ballots as of the November 6 update, reflecting a 34.77% turnout among the 505,393 registered voters.
Mayor In the mayoral race, Bruce Harrell maintains a lead with 91,263 votes (52.64%), while Katie Wilson holds 81,355 votes (46.93%).
City Attorney Erika Evans significantly leads the City Attorney race with 107,501 votes (63.90%), compared to Ann Davison’s 60,320 votes (35.86%).
City Council Races
• Council District No. 2: Eddie Lin holds a strong lead with 13,858 votes (67.96%), against Adonis Ducksworth who has 6,455 votes (31.65%).
• Council Position No. 8: Alexis Mercedes Rinck secured a large majority of votes, tallying 128,357 votes (79.86%) compared to Rachael Savage’s 31,311 votes (19.48%).
• Council Position No. 9: Dionne Foster leads with 99,334 votes (59.52%), significantly ahead of Sara Nelson, who has 66,962 votes (40.12%).
Seattle City Propositions Both city propositions are passing with solid majorities:
• Proposition No. 1: Approved with 133,232 "Yes" votes (78.06%) and 37,444 "No" votes (21.94%).
• Proposition No. 2: Approved with 116,421 "Yes" votes (68.93%) and 52,487 "No" votes (31.07%).
Seattle School District No. 1 The Seattle School District, with 175,831 ballots counted, shows several competitive races:
• Director District No. 2: Kathleen Smith is narrowly leading with 79,346 votes (52.40%) over Sarah Clark's 71,211 votes (47.02%).
• Director District No. 7: Jen LaVallee leads with 85,736 votes (56.93%) compared to Carol Rava's 63,981 votes (42.49%).
• Joe Mizrahi (Director District No. 4) and Vivian Song (Director District No. 5) both hold overwhelming leads in their respective races.
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Burien Results (Updated November 6, 2025)
The City of Burien has counted 8,340 ballots, achieving a 27.39% turnout of the 30,454 registered voters.
City Council Races All four contested Burien City Council races saw the leading candidate maintain or expand their lead:
• Council Position No. 1: Hugo Garcia leads with 4,352 votes (55.81%) over Jessica Ivey’s 3,382 votes (43.37%).
• Council Position No. 3: Sam Méndez leads with 4,639 votes (58.86%) over Marie Barbon’s 3,200 votes (40.60%).
• Council Position No. 5: Sarah Moore holds the largest margin of victory so far, leading with 5,049 votes (63.81%) against Gabriel Fernandez’s 2,825 votes (35.71%).
• Council Position No. 7: Rocco DeVito leads with 4,308 votes (54.82%) against Stephanie Mora’s 3,515 votes (44.73%).
Burien Proposition No. 1 Burien Proposition No. 1 is currently rejected by a majority of voters, with 4,237 "No" votes (53.26%) compared to 3,718 "Yes" votes (46.74%).
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34th Legislative District Results (Updated November 6, 2025)
In the 34th Legislative District, 36,658 ballots have been counted, representing 33.63% of the 108,994 registered voters.
State Senator The State Senator race saw Emily Alvarado (Prefers Democratic Party) securing an overwhelming majority with 27,308 votes (97.94%). Write-in votes accounted for 573 votes (2.06%).
Representative Position No. 1 Similarly, Brianna K. Thomas (Prefers Democratic Party) leads uncontested for Representative Position No. 1 with 26,800 votes (98.02%). Write-in votes totaled 541 (1.98%)
Update November 5.
November 5, 2025 – New, unofficial election results released tonight reflect ballots counted as of the day following Election Day, November 04, 2025. The total count for King County has grown, with 347,269 ballots now processed, representing a 24.05% turnout of the 1,443,842 registered voters.
These results are preliminary and unofficial totals. The King County Elections office is scheduled to release updates each weekday at 4 p.m. until the final certification of results on November 25.
The latest count shows clear and often expanded leads in key races impacting Seattle and Burien, as well as continued overwhelming support for incumbent candidates in the 34th Legislative District.
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Seattle Races: Harrell and Evans Maintain Strong Advantages
In the City of Seattle, the ballot count has risen to 139,173 (27.54% turnout of 505,393 registered voters).
Bruce Harrell has slightly increased his lead in the Seattle Mayor's race, holding 73,883 votes, or 53.84%, over challenger Katie Wilson, who has 62,700 votes (45.69%).
The race for Seattle City Attorney also saw Erika Evans significantly increase her vote total, now leading with 83,150 votes (62.44%) against Ann Davison’s 49,633 votes (37.27%).
Updated results for contested Seattle City Council positions continue to show large leads for the frontrunners:
• Council District No. 2: Eddie Lin leads decisively with 10,590 votes (68.02%) over Adonis Ducksworth's 4,916 votes (31.58%).
• Council Position No. 8: Alexis Mercedes Rinck maintains a commanding lead citywide with 100,179 votes (78.86%) compared to Rachael Savage’s 25,968 votes (20.44%).
• Council Position No. 9: Dionne Foster remains ahead with 76,339 votes (57.78%) against Sara Nelson, who has 55,235 votes (41.81%).
Both city propositions continue to enjoy strong support, with larger vote margins reported:
• Proposition No. 1 is passing with 103,988 "Yes" votes (76.98%).
• Proposition No. 2 is also passing, having garnered 90,596 "Yes" votes (67.72%).
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Burien Council Contests and Proposition See Higher Tallies
The City of Burien has now counted 6,496 ballots, reflecting a 21.33% turnout of its 30,454 registered voters.
The four contested City Council races maintain their leaders, with increased vote totals:
• Council Position No. 1: Hugo Garcia leads with 3,319 votes (54.81%) over Jessica Ivey, who has 2,683 votes (44.31%).
• Council Position No. 3: Sam Méndez is ahead with 3,555 votes (58.06%) over Marie Barbon's 2,535 votes (41.40%).
• Council Position No. 5: Sarah Moore continues her dominant lead with 3,884 votes (63.10%) against Gabriel Fernandez, who has 2,238 votes (36.36%).
• Council Position No. 7: Rocco DeVito maintained his lead, securing 3,321 votes (54.40%), while Stephanie Mora trails with 2,753 votes (45.09%).
Burien's Proposition No. 1 remains poised for rejection, with 3,269 votes (52.73%) cast against it, versus 2,931 votes (47.27%) in favor.
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34th Legislative District Results Remain Overwhelming
In the 34th Legislative District, which spans parts of Seattle and Burien, the count has increased to 28,407 ballots (26.06% turnout). Both legislative races continue to show massive leads for the Democratic candidates:
• State Senator: Emily Alvarado (Prefers Democratic Party) has received 21,122 votes, representing 97.06% of the total.
• Representative Position No. 1: Brianna K. Thomas (Prefers Democratic Party) leads with 20,741 votes, or 97.14%.
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These updated totals reflect results counted as of November 05, 2025. The next set of unofficial results will be released each weekday at 4 p.m., continuing until the election is certified on November 25
