Bruce Harrell concedes in extremely close race for Seattle mayor

Bruce Harrell announced his concession for Seattle mayor in an address Thursday, officially making Katie Wilson the mayor-elect.

“It’s been my absolute honor, the honor of my lifetime, to serve in this role,” Harrell said.

Harrell encouraged the community to stay positive about the future.

“I feel very good about the future for this country and this city still — that is the attitude we have to have — and I hope that everyone that can hear the sound of my voice feels the same,” he shared.

Harrell said his team is standing by to start the transition for Wilson.

“I look forward to welcoming her to City Hall in the near future, and I wish her well,” he said.

Seattle Police Officers Guild President Mike Solan thanked Harrell for his work with the police department.

“The vote count for Seattle’s next mayor took so long that I almost forgot we had an election,” Solan wrote in a prepared statement. “And much like public safety in Seattle, our election process needs to be reformed. SPOG members also want to thank Mayor Harrell for his efforts to build back SPD. We look forward to continuing his legacy with Mayor-Elect Wilson.”

King County Executive-elect Girmay Zahilay also thanked Harrell for his service.

“I want to thank Mayor Bruce Harrell for his decades of service to Seattle, his hometown. In his career of public service, both in his last four years as Mayor and his time as a City Councilmember and community leader, he has dedicated his life to making Seattle a stronger, more inclusive city. I know he will continue to find meaningful ways to serve this community that he loves,” Zahilay wrote in a prepared statement.

Looking back on a hard-fought race for Seattle mayor

The battle for Seattle’s mayoral seat was intense and unpredictable.

Wilson held a 1,976-vote lead over Harrell, nearly out of the 2,000-recount range. However, Harrell did not call for a recount.

“Katie Wilson seemed more like the kind of person these young people have been talking about in regards to the politics of change,” Democratic Strategist Cathy Allen told “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. “So I think that’s what happened. It’s those young voters got out of bed, voted in time, and lo and behold, this is what we have.”

Zahilay acknowledged just how close the race was in his statement.

“This will go down as one of the closest races for Mayor of Seattle in the city’s history,” he stated. “I called Mayor-elect Katie Wilson to extend my sincere congratulations on her victory. It’s been a very long time since King County and Seattle have both elected new leaders at the same time. That means we have an opportunity for a true reset — to try new strategies and form new partnerships to tackle some of our region’s most persistent challenges.”

Bruce Harrell seeks to become first re-elected in over a decade

Harrell was seeking to become the first re-elected mayor for Seattle since Greg Nickels in 2005.

Both he and Wilson emerged from the state’s August primary as the two leading candidates for mayor in Seattle. Wilson received 98,562 votes (50.75%) compared to Harrell’s 80,043 votes (41.21%).

Harrell previously served on the Seattle City Council for 13 years, from 2008 to 2020, before becoming mayor. Throughout his campaign, he explained to voters how deeply embedded he is in the city’s fabric, having grown up and attended school in Seattle before pursuing a career in city government.

While Wilson’s campaign centered around expanding workers’ rights, addressing the homelessness crisis in Seattle, and creating more affordable housing, Harrell focused on a more moderate platform — highlighting decreased city-wide crime, a more bolstered police force, and a reenergized downtown sector, in addition to promises of furthering his work to create more affordable housing and reduce homelessness.

Contributing: Frank Sumrall and Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest; Katrina Guischard, KIRO Newsradio