It seems Ann Davison will become the first woman to hold the office of Seattle city attorney after defeating her opponent, Nicole Thomas-Kennedy, in what was arguably the most high-profile race for that office in history.
The latest results from Tuesday’s general election show Davison winning 52% of ballots cast with 125,437 votes. Thomas-Kennedy, who so far has recieved 112,862 votes, would need to secure about 84% of the remaining 17,835 ballots left to count to overtake Davison. That means a comeback is improbable, but not impossible.
Although the city attorney is a non-partisan office, a person’s political leanings matter to voters. Both candidates are attorneys, but they have vastly different political views. As for Davison, her history with traditional political parties is muddled.
She ran for a nonpartisan Seattle City Council seat in 2019, arguably a waste of time if you don’t hold liberal views, but then ran for lieutenant governor last year as a Republican. Before that campaign, she claimed she was "leaving" the Democratic party. Since then, she's refused to publicly identify with a party.
If Davison truly sees herself as a member of the GOP, she would be the first Republican to win elected office in Seattle since Paul Kraabel. He served on the city council from 1975 until 1991.
Conversely, it’s not hard to figure out where Thomas-Kennedy lands on the political spectrum.
A self-described “abolitionist,” she vowed to eliminate the prosecution of misdemeanor crimes, which she says essentially criminalize poverty. She also promised to defend progressive tax laws, sue fossil fuel companies, and work to abolish the voter-approved state ban on affirmative action.
She was an ideal progressive candidate. But many say it was her far-left platform, combined with several inflammatory statements made about police, that caused several of Seattle’s more moderate Democrats to side with Republicans in voting for Davison.
Even former Governors Christine Gregoire and Gary Locke, both Democrats, endorsed Davison. In their joint endorsement, they said Thomas-Kennedy’s desire to end the prosecution of misdemeanor crimes would make Seattle less safe. They also characterized her statements about police as unfit for someone seeking to hold public office.
In several tweets from 2020, many of which have since been deleted, Thomas-Kennedy said she had a “rabid hatred” of police and called them “crybabies” and “serial killers.” She replied to a holiday message from the Seattle Police Department with a tweet that included the line: “Eat some covid laced s--t and quit ur jobs.” She also called the person who detonated an explosive device near the department’s East Precinct a “hero.”
In response to the criticism, Thomas-Kennedy has said she made the tweets during a time when emotions were running high — she says she bought a gas mask for her 9-year-old daughter to wear in their home when police were firing tear gas at protestors in her neighborhood — and when she had no plans to run for public office. She’s also maintained that the tweets are a distraction, and said voters should focus on her platform.
Davison framed herself a “pragmatist.” She separated herself from Thomas-Kennedy and the hullabaloo made about her party switch by emphasizing that the city attorney position is non-partisan and “not a place to pursue a radical agenda.”
On the campaign trail, she advocated for aggressive stances on repeat criminal offenders and homelessness. But as far as specifics go, that’s about it. Her campaign website includes several platitudes about bringing the city together, but offers little in the way of policy proposals.
According to the city's Ethics and Elections Commission, Davison raised $446,543 in contributions. Thomas-Kennedy raised $438,885. According to that data, 12% of Davison's contributors lived outside city limits and 13% of donations ranged from $500 to $599, the maximum donation amount allowed for this race. For Thomas-Kennedy, those figures were 3% and 5%, respectively.
Current City Attorney Pete Holmes faced intense criticism last year for his response to the several Black Lives Matter protests that broke out across Seattle following the murder of George Floyd. It seemed like he would enter August’s primary without a challenger, but both Davison and Thomas-Kennedy filed to run at the last second. Holmes was ultimately squeezed out of the race during the primary, securing just 31% of the vote.
Davison received her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Baylor University in Texas. She earned her juris doctorate from Willimate University in Oregon. She moved to Seattle in 1996, where she worked for the Seattle Supersonics until 2001.
She became a practicing attorney and arbitrator in Seattle in 2005. She also teaches international business law at the University of Washington’s Continuum College.
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