'Full-on, citywide grumpiness' is in the air — must be election season. This week in politics

Just like the coming solstice weekend weather, election season in Seattle is heating up.

The primary is now less than two months away. Endorsements are coming in for mayoral and City Council candidates, forums are under way, babies are being air-kissed — OK, maybe not that.

After a tumultuous year, politicos are wondering what sort of election we're likely to get.

Joni Balter, host of Seattle CityClub’s Civic Cocktail, wrote a piece for Crosscut, headlined, “Why 2021 Might Be the Year of the Backlash.”

"It's about full-on, citywide grumpiness," Balter says. "Grumpy or agitated voters do not favor the status quo. They want change."

That means candidates already inside Seattle's city government may not be favored this year.

"It's almost backlash to the backlash," Balter says, referring to the 2019 election when Amazon spent $1.5 million on City Council races. Some voters chose candidates who did not get a piece of that money.

But this year, she expects voters to instead reject more "activist" candidates.

She points to the "defund the police" movement.

Seven councilmembers agreed with the idea in some form last summer, at the height of Black Lives Matter protests and the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Their promises never really materialized in the ways advocates for cutting the Seattle Police Department's budget wanted to see.

"Now, if you mention the word 'defund,' most of the councilmembers are going to quickly change the subject," Balter says. "Because it was an example of a council falling for a slogan, instead of crafting tough, sophisticated public policy."

Brian Callanan, host and moderator at the Seattle Channel, disagrees.

He doesn't see backlash on the horizon, in part because of the City Council seats that are up for grabs.

He notes City Council President Lorena González is a frontrunner in the mayoral race.

"Plus, if you're looking for backlash, you're not going to get it City Council Position 8," he adds. "Incumbent City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda has no real competition there. She's another strong voice for labor. Looks like she's going to get re-elected."

Don't call those races just yet, though — there's still plenty of time for the tides to change.