Deputy Mayor Casey Sixkiller joins crowded race for Seattle mayor

He’s got a famous last name, an impressive resume, and his negotiating skills have brought him high praise. Now, Seattle Deputy Mayor Casey Sixkiller will try to take things to the next level, as he seeks to take over the seat being vacated by his outgoing boss, Jenny Durkan.

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Sixkiller has extensive experience in the political arena, having formerly served as a legislative assistant to former state Rep. Jim McDermott. He later shifted his sights to the other Washington where, as an enrolled Cherokee Nation citizen, he served as lead Cherokee Nation advocate to Congress before joining Senator Patty Murray’s staff in 2003.

The Seattle Native started his own business in 2010, where he led a business lobbying firm with offices in D.C. and Seattle.

In 2018, King County Executive Dow Constantine tapped Sixkiller as his Chief Operating Officer where he served until moving to Durkan’s staff.

Sixkiller has worked on public policy regarding transportation, housing and community development, Tribal Affairs, and more, and has been praised for his negotiating skills.

He also has some local celebrity to his name that could help with such a crowded race, as the son of Sonny Sixkiller, the former 1970s-era star quarterback for the University of Washington Huskies.

Sixkiller’s name had been circulated as one of the rumored possible candidates after Durkan announced she would not seek a second term with decent potential to make it through the primary, which generally only requires between 15-20% of the vote to make the general election ballot.

These six candidates have raised the most money in Seattle mayoral race

While his experience and name recognition could be a boost, the fact that he’s a member of the Durkan administration could be a hurdle, but that remains to be seen.

Sixkiller brings the very crowded field in the race for Seattle’s mayor to 20 candidates, about half of which are considered serious candidates.

As of Monday, Colleen Echohawk had raised the most money at just over $297,000, with Andrew Grant Houston — who currently serves as interim policy manager for Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda — a close second at just under $267,000.

Current and former Seattle City Council Presidents Lorena Gonzalez and Bruce Harrell round out the top four as far as money raised, with Gonzales raising nearly $175,000, and Harrell getting a little more than $105,000 since announcing his candidacy after stepping away from city politics.

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