Conlin concedes as Socialist takes Seattle City Council seat
Nov 15, 2013, 5:09 PM | Updated: 8:52 pm
Veteran Seattle City Councilmember Richard Conlin has conceded his seat to challenger Kshama Sawant after the latest numbers were released Friday.
Sawant’s lead grew by 1,640 votes in the updated vote total. She currently holds 50.3 percent of the vote, while Conlin is at 49.4 percent.
“We do not at this point see a realistic path to success,” Conlin said.
Conlin led by 6,136 votes after election night, but later returns consistently swung in Sawant’s favor.
Sawant will be the first socialist on the council in recent memory.
Conlin has served on the council for 16 years.
“Certainly I’m surprised and disappointed,” he said in announcing his concession at City Hall. “I felt that we ran a strong campaign and she obviously ran a stronger one.”
Fellow City Councilmember Nick Licata, who just won re-election, praised Conlin on Twitter: “Probably no person more than him has led the green revolution in Seattle’s consciousness.”
