Tammy Morales has narrowly pulled ahead of Tanya Woo in the race for Seattle City Council District 2, which represents the Chinatown International District (CID) and much of South Seattle. After a majority of all ballots were counted Friday, Morales has 50.49% of the vote while Woo’s share shrank to 49.23%. The two are separated by just 317 votes.
In the past, results have trended toward the political left as more votes are counted, because younger and more left-leaning voters tend to vote later. You can view the full King County results here — they will be updated in the coming days and weeks as more ballots are counted.
A CID neighborhood activist, Woo helped start the CID Community Watch, which patrols the neighborhood at night keeping watch on public safety and helping people living outdoors. Last year, Woo helped successfully organize the neighborhood in opposition to a planned King County shelter expansion at the edge of the CID.
Woo’s family also owns the historic Louisa Hotel. After a fire gutted the building in December 2013, she oversaw its preservation and restoration into a building with below market-rate, workforce housing and retail.
Councilmember Morales is a progressive member of the Seattle City Council who has represented the district since 2020. While in office she has advocated for pedestrian safety in South Seattle, anti-displacement, and public safety alternatives to police. In the CID, she helped fund a Neighborhood Safety Model to increase street outreach in the CID.
In general, candidates who were political newcomers and more to the political center on issues performed better on election night than incumbents and political progressives. By Friday, progressive candidates picked up more votes, but not enough, in some cases to dramatically turn the tables.
After lagging slightly behind on election night, incumbent Dan Strauss has pulled ahead of challenger Pete Hanning, with 51.95% of the vote to 47.55% for Hanning.
Incumbent Andrew J. Lewis conceded the race for District 7 to Bob Kettle, but after Friday’s ballot count, the two are separated by only 503 votes, with Lewis holding 48.73% of the vote to Kettle’s 50.93%.
In the races without incumbents, candidates closer to the political center fared better on election night, though in some cases the races tightened by Friday. In District 5, Cathy Moore still holds a decisive victory with almost 64.44% of the vote, over ChrisTiana ObeySumner, who earned 35.21%. In District 4, progressive Ron Davis and Maritza Rivera are neck-in-neck, with Davis holding 49.07% of the vote to Rivera’s 50.57%. In District 3, Alex Hudson conceded to Joy Hollingsworth. In District 1, Rob Saka holds a lead of 54.35% to Maren Costa’s 45.21%, though Costa has not yet conceded.
In the race for King County District 8, which encompasses the CID, Teresa Mosqueda widened her lead over Sofia Aragon, with 54.77% of the vote to Aragon’s 44.91%.
