Mayoral Madness
July 14, 2017 5:00 PM   Subscribe

I was loosely aware that Seattle's mayoral election was very silly, but today I got my ballot and counted twenty one candidates in the primary. Help me learn about them without overloading?

I've never been super focused on local politics and lately all my attention has been on national things, but I make a point of voting every time I can and I like to be informed when I have agency in something. But I get very easily overwhelmed by political things and for my mental health I pick and choose carefully what to pay attention to. This leaves me in a lurch right now.

Are there things to read that will summarize the candidates in a way that isn't just a list of bullet points? (I've already seen this from the Seattle Times, it's not bad but I'm having trouble absorbing the information.) Articles on specific candidates who are more likely to get past the primary? Preferably things written for people who are well aware of issues in the city but not familiar with specific people names and inside baseball stuff.

If it matters I'm a super duper lefty feminist queer artist who prefers politicians who actually do their jobs and cooperate to get things accomplished. So a kind of 50/50 on ideals vs realism. I've got some time to dedicate to this, I just have trouble staying detached enough not to get overwhelmed and throw up my hands in despair, so your typical strident political writing really doesn't work for me in terms of learning about people who want me to vote for them.
posted by Mizu to Law & Government (7 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
I'm not sure how helpful this is, I don't know if you're looking for a summary from a particular source or not. If I were dropped in the middle of King County and had to vote, I'd probably just go with the Stranger's recommendations

King County elections has a spot to get the voter's pamphlet, I am assuming it has candidate's statements.
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 5:25 PM on July 14, 2017


I have things in common with you and usually look at the Progressive Voters Guide and the Stranger, then other sources if they disagree or I have more questions..
posted by centrifugal at 5:47 PM on July 14, 2017


Oh, forgot to add that I also like Seattlish, and the first post there right now is about the mayoral race.
posted by centrifugal at 5:55 PM on July 14, 2017


I've been seeing a lot about Nikkita Oliver and it looks like Seattle Weekly has endorsed her. I care about the same things you mention in your last paragraph and she's caught my attention for sure--it's hard to keep up with such a deep field. They have some other coverage here.
posted by stellaluna at 6:32 PM on July 14, 2017


#jennyonebutdurkan is a trending Twitter hashtag and a solid operating procedure for the mayoral race. Jenny Durkan is the candidate of North Seattle's wealthy white moderates and will make policy that serves their interests. I have 200 Nikkita Oliver flyers on my kitchen table, but any of the other leading progressive candidates would be a fine choice.

If you have some extra time, the local race that could really use you is the special election for state senate in the 45th district, over in Woodinville/Redmond/Kirkland. The state senate is controlled by R's by one seat, and the 45th is a swing district that Hillary Clinton won. The D candidate, Manka Dhingra, is a longtime area resident and prosecutor running on fully funding education in the state, and her R opponent is a carpetbagger whose platform consists of opposing any and all taxes. The race is receiving national attention and money. If the state government was all blue, we could make some serious social improvements in Washington.

There is doorbelling for Manka every Saturday and Sunday at 10am and 1pm organized from her Redmond office. I'm going most weekends-if you (or anyone) would like a ride across the lake, MeMail me.
posted by Kwine at 9:26 PM on July 14, 2017 [2 favorites]


I usually have a look at what Seattle Transit Blog says, since land use is another way that cities show their commitment towards inclusion and equity, or lack thereof. They like Nikkita Oliver but recommend Jessyn Farrell for a combination of policy and experience.

(no link because their site has been having difficulties recently; I'll update if they fix their site.)
posted by batter_my_heart at 10:21 PM on July 14, 2017 [1 favorite]


Realistically there are six candidates with any hope of getting out of the primary. Durkan, Hasegawa, McGinn, Farrell, Moon, and Oliver. Just read about them, it'll save some time. And if you want "urban gondolas" vote for Lever..
posted by annie o at 9:55 PM on July 17, 2017


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