Politics

Girmay Zahilay leading in race for King County executive, Steffanie Fain up for council

King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay led on election night with 50% of the vote. King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci trailed with about 48% of the vote.

Seattle-area election results: Wilson widens lead over Harrell

Tuesday, Nov. 4 is the 2025 general election for several key races in the Seattle area. Check in here to see updated results as more ballots are counted each day.

WA voters might say yes to amending the state constitution this fall. Here's why

There might be only one thing the socialist alt-weekly The Stranger and the libertarian think tank the Washington Policy Center agree on this election season, and it’s at the very beginning of your Nov. 4 ballot.

Uncle Sam billboard on I-5 goes from right-wing zingers to a statement of Native rights

The 70-year saga of the Uncle Sam billboard on I-5 south of Chehalis and its provocative, right-wing messaging took an abrupt turn this summer when the billboard and the 3.5 acres on which it sits was purchased by the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation.

Furloughed feds pick up Seattle beach trash to keep serving the public

Furloughed federal employees were out in the rain picking up cigarette butts, bottle caps, and other trash at Seattle’s Golden Gardens Park on Friday.

KUOW's 2025 voter guide for Western Washington ballots

Ballots in Washington state’s general election are due by Nov. 4. We’ll walk you through some of the hottest races we’re watching. Most are in the Seattle area, with a few notables elsewhere in Western Washington. We also highlight a couple ballot measures to keep an eye on.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, challenger Katie Wilson spar over homelessness policy

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is trying to win a second term in office, something a sitting mayor hasn’t done in nearly two decades. Running to his left is populist progressive activist Katie Wilson, who has made the city’s response to homelessness a central issue of the race.

Seattle laws targeting drug use, prostitution take center stage in city attorney debate

Katie Wilson can barely afford to live in Seattle. That's why she wants to be mayor

Katie Wilson presents herself as a sensible coalition-builder who runs a small nonprofit and has lived the working-class life. A renter and a mother, she runs on issues close to her heart. She speaks the language of struggling people. But not included in the narrative Wilson tells on the campaign trail is how she affords this expensive city.