Katie Wilson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Wilson in 2025 | |
| 58thMayor of Seattle | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2026 | |
| Deputy | Brian Surratt[1] |
| Preceded by | Bruce Harrell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Katherine Barrett Wilson (1982-07-12)July 12, 1982 (age 43)[2] Binghamton, New York, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | David Sloan Wilson (father) Sloan Wilson (grandfather) |
| Education | Balliol College, Oxford (dropped out) |
| Website | Campaign website |
Katherine Barrett Wilson[3] (born July 12, 1982) is an American politician and activist who is the 58thmayor of Seattle since taking office in 2026. Wilson is the co-founder and executive director of the Transit Riders Union, a group that focuses on improvingpublic transportation andworkers' rights. In August 2025, Wilson placed first in the primary for the2025 Seattle mayoral election and advanced to the general election against incumbent mayorBruce Harrell, whom she ultimately defeated.
_Seattle_Transit_Riders_Union%2527s_Rally_to_Ride_Katie_Wilson.jpg)
Wilson was raised inBinghamton, New York, by her parents, Anne Barrett Clark andDavid Sloan Wilson, both evolutionary biologists.[4][5] She graduated in 2000 assalutatorian[6] fromBinghamton High School before studyingphysics andphilosophy atBalliol College of Oxford in England.[5] She withdrew from Oxford six weeks before she was scheduled to sit for the examinations in the final honours school for her degree and moved to Seattle in 2004.[7][8] She worked several jobs after moving, including working in boat repair,construction, and as an office assistant.[5]
In fall 2011, Wilson co-founded the Seattle Transit Riders Union (TRU), a nonprofit501(c)(4) focused on improving public transportation in Seattle and King County, where she has been a paid, full-time employee since 2019. Tax records show she earned almost $73,000 from the nonprofit in 2022. She also served as Executive Director and the group’s board president, an unpaid position.[9] The TRU is an organization that campaigns and lobbies forprogressive causes.[10][11]
The organization was formed after a proposed 17% cut toKing County Metro and an elimination of the fare-free zone in downtown.[11] In 2014, Wilson and the TRU successfully lobbied King County for the creation of theORCA Lift program, which provided reduced fares for low-income individuals.[12][13] The TRU previously campaigned for increases to theminimum wage inBurien,SeaTac andTukwila, as well as greater renters' rights, and better public transport.[10][12][13]
In 2020, Wilson played a role in the creation of Seattle's JumpStart tax, apayroll tax on private employers to fund affordable housing.[12][13] She was critical of MayorBruce Harrell for proposing redirecting JumpStart funds to balance the city budget instead of affordable housing projects.[14] Wilson was also a member of Harrell's Seattle Revenue Stabilization Workgroup, which explored and recommended additional progressive revenue to address the city's budget deficit.[12][13][15] For several years, Wilson was also a member of the board of theEconomic Opportunity Institute.
Wilson has written policy columns forCascade PBS andThe Stranger.[7]
In March 2025, Wilson announced a campaign to challenge incumbentBruce Harrell formayor of Seattle.[16] She cited Harrell's opposition to a February 2025 ballot measure that would fund housing through taxes on businesses as a factor in her decision to run.[12][17] Wilson, running as a progressive, stated her top three priorities as mayor are housing, homelessness, and protecting Seattle from federal actions.[7][12] In the primary, she was endorsed by everyDemocratic party organization in the city, including all six legislative district Democrats,The Stranger, and PROTEC17, a union that represents 3,000 city workers.[18][19][20]
In the weeks leading to the primary, polls indicated a close race between Wilson and Harrell, with both raising nearly $500,000.[17][21][22] In the Augustnonpartisan primary, Wilson placed first among a field of eight candidates, with 50.9% of the vote, and advanced to the general election with Harrell who earned 41.3%.[23][24]
Wilson's campaign was likened to the campaign ofZohran Mamdani in the2025 New York City mayoral election by several publications, includingThe Nation andThe Stranger.[18][25] According toThe Nation, Wilson's victory was won by theprecariat of Seattle renters,Sound transit riders, andDemocratic Socialists of America members.[26] She criticized Harrell for being part of the "status quo" and not properly addressing homelessness and sweeping individuals, while also not lowering the cost of living.[27][28] Harrell touted his administration's efforts on public safety, transportation, and housing affordability, while criticizing Wilson's previous support for the "Defund the police" movement.[28][29] During the campaign Wilson did not call for defunding the police, instead arguing that armed officers are not needed to respond to mental health and other non-crime calls that should be handled by other kinds of professionals.[29]
Wilson won by a margin of 0.73% in the November 4, 2025 general election, the closest mayoral election in Seattle by percentage since 1906.[30][31]
Wilson's term began on January 1, 2026. She was ceremonially sworn into office on January 2, 2026, with local transit union leaderPauline Van Senus administering the oath of office.[32][33]
Since taking office Wilson has defended Seattle's Somalian community against attacks spurred on by Republican led oversight committees galvanized by fraud investigations into the Somalian immigrant community in Minneapolis.[34] Wilson has also defended local Seattle immigrant communities and activist networks to resist ICE arrests in Seattle.[35]
Wilson is a self-describeddemocratic socialist.[36]
Through the Transit Riders Union, Wilson successfully lobbied for the creation of theORCA Lift program for low-income riders and freeORCA cards for students inSeattle Public Schools.[37][38][39] Wilson also proposed fare-free transit in Seattle following the adoption of fare-free policy byOlympia-basedIntercity Transit in 2020.[40][41] She also advocated for subsidies one-bikes and transit passes for employees,congestion pricing and a parking cash-out law.[41]
Wilson's mayoral campaign platform included support for improvements to accessibility and safety onsidewalks andbicycle lanes in Seattle. Her platform also endorsed a program topedestrianize and limit car access toPike Place Market and portions ofCapitol Hill.[42][43]
Wilson is a supporter ofrent stabilization.[44] She also supported increasing zoning for houses andpublic housing to tackle high rents, along with banning algorithmicprice fixing and "junk fees" in rent costs.[45] Additionally, she supported limiting the purchase of homes byprivate equity firms.[46]
Wilson has been highly critical ofWashington's state tax laws, which she deemed as the "worst" in theUnited States.[47] Specifically, she notes that the lack on aincome tax in Washington forces reliance on other sources of revenue likesales,excise, andproperty taxes that she claims benefit large companies likeAmazon andMicrosoft.[47] She also supported progressive tax reform campaigns within Seattle.[48][49] In 2020, Wilson advocated for the Amazon Tax campaign inSeattle City Council, led by CouncilmemberKshama Sawant. She similarly supported the JumpStart Tax, which focused on taxing larger businesses with high-earning employees, includingAmazon.[48] The JumpStart Tax would be introduced as legislation by CouncilmemberTeresa Mosqueda, passing with a 7-2 vote.[50]
During her mayoral campaign, Wilson proposed additional taxes to generate revenue for the city, including a tax onlandlords that own vacant properties and acapital gains tax.[51][52]
Wilson is married to Scott Myers, an activist whom she met during high school inBinghamton.[5] They rent a one-bedroom apartment inCapitol Hill and have one daughter.[5]
Wilson does not own a car and primarily rides public transit to get around Seattle with her daughter. Wilson has also previously used a bicycle for transportation, although she relies more on transit since having a child.[53]
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Katie Wilson | 98,562 | 50.75 | |
| Bruce Harrell (incumbent) | 80,043 | 41.21 | |
| Joe Mallahan | 8,538 | 4.40 | |
| Ry Armstrong | 2,120 | 1.09 | |
| Clinton Bliss | 2,046 | 1.05 | |
| Isaiah Willoughby | 817 | 0.42 | |
| Joe Molloy | 799 | 0.41 | |
| Thaddeus Whelan | 716 | 0.37 | |
| Write-in | 588 | 0.30 | |
| Total votes | 194,229 | 100.00 | |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Katie Wilson | 138,931 | 50.20 | |
| Bruce Harrell (incumbent) | 136,920 | 49.47 | |
| Write-in | 911 | 0.33 | |
| Total votes | 280,375 | 100.00 | |
I grew up in upstate New York, in a town called Binghamton.
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|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Mayor of Seattle 2026–present | Incumbent |