Nicole Thomas-Kennedy concedes Seattle City Attorney race to Ann Davison
Nov 2, 2021, 8:16 PM | Updated: Nov 9, 2021, 10:55 am
(KIRO 7)
Nicole Thomas-Kennedy has officially conceded the Seattle City Attorney race to Ann Davison, who held on to a 4-point lead after Monday’s final large vote tally.
Davison had held a 17-point advantage as recently as of last Wednesday, and was leading by 11 points after the following day’s count. On Friday, her lead was trimmed to 5 percentage points. King County Elections estimates that the “vast, vast majority” of ballots were counted as of Monday.
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Thomas-Kennedy posted her concession to Twitter on Tuesday morning, describing a campaign that “overcame a lot.”
“Despite right wingers spreading conspiracy theories, my opponent and her teams lies about my platform, 4 mailers, 8 absurd op-eds, and unending racist threats to our staff and death threats to my family, we did not quit – and we got almost half the votes in an off year election,” she said. “My campaign could only accomplish this because of the work that so many thinkers, survivors, and activists put in for many years before my campaign. The support that we received was a direct reflection of the solid foundation others created and on which the community can build.”
Twelve-year incumbent City Attorney Pete Holmes did not advance out of the August primary, leaving Thomas-Kennedy and Davison as the last candidates left standing for November’s general election.
Davison ran for Seattle City Council in 2019, ultimately losing to District 5 incumbent Debora Juarez by a 60% to 39% margin. She then ran as a Republican for lieutenant governor the following year, failing to advance out of the August primary after garnering 12% of votes.
A self-described abolitionist, Thomas-Kennedy previously worked as a public defender for King County for four years, before leaving in 2020 to take on pro bono defense work for activists amid a flurry of social justice protests across the region.