Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant declares victory despite very slim lead in recall election

Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant declared victory on Friday over an attempt by opponents to recall her, but the outcome of this month's special election is far from certain. 

"It appears we have defeated the combined efforts of big business, the right wing, corporate media, the courts and the political establishment who sought to remove our socialist council office by any means necessary,” Sawant said to a crowd of supporters in a video that was posted on Facebook. "In other words, the wealthy and their representatives in politics and the media took their best shot at us and we beat them again." 

Friday election results show Sawant beating the recall effort by a margin of 246 votes. Initial results released Tuesday showed Sawant behind by six percentage points, but she narrowed that gap to one percentage point on Wednesday and took the lead by 232 votes on Thursday. She made her speech Friday morning. 

In a statement Friday evening, Henry Bridger II — the head of Recall Sawant, one of two groups leading the recall — admitted that the effort to oust Sawant will "likely fall short." 

"While this election may not end with removing Sawant from office, let her narrow escape send a clear message: Seattle voters will not tolerate slash-and-burn politicians who shirk accountability and divide the city," the statement said. 

There are still hundreds of ballots left to be counted, including roughly 600 ballots with signature issues that could be verified and counted by next week. With Sawant ahead by such a slim margin, those additional ballots could give the election to her opponents. But they could also bolster her lead. King County says it will certify the election next Friday. 

This is an important election for Seattle progressives, who saw their preferred candidates lose to more moderate ones in several key races during last month’s general election. It would also shed light on what District 3 voters care more about: Sawant's policy stances, or her conduct in office. 

A socialist, Sawant has been a fierce advocate for the city’s renters and unsheltered population.

She spearheaded efforts to raise the city’s minimum wage to $15 and was instrumental in implementing a payroll tax on high-salary earners at local corporations. She also led the charge to ban most wintertime and school-year evictions in Seattle, and helped mandate relocation assistance to those who move after substantial rent increases.

But those leading the recall effort say Sawant’s actions over the last year demonstrate that she’s not fit to hold public office. 

She's facing a recall on three charges that were each listed on the ballot voters received. First, that she used city resources to support a proposed ballot initiative. Second, that she violated state health orders by letting Black Lives Matter protestors into a locked City Hall last summer. And third, that she led a march to Mayor Jenny Durkan’s house, the address of which is protected under state confidentiality laws because of her work as a federal prosecutor.

Sawant admitted to the first charge, saying it was an accident. As to the second and third charges, Sawant has said she didn’t violate a specific state health order when she let protesters into City Hall and that she had no part in organizing the march to Durkan’s house.

The state Supreme Court, which allowed the recall to go forward, did not rule on the veracity of the charges. But whether Sawant violated a state health order or led protestors to Durkan’s house no longer matters — voters are letting her know what they think at the ballot box. 

If recalled, Sawant would be removed from office later this month. The Seattle City Council would then have 20 days to appoint a replacement to fill the seat. A special election for the post would be held in November of next year. Sawant would be eligible to run for this same seat or another office.  

Sawant was outraised by her opponents, but not by much. As of Monday — the last day data was available — Recall Sawant and A Better Seattle, two groups fighting to oust Sawant, had raised $998,459 in contributions. The Kshama Solidarity Campaign, which fought the recall, had raised $984,318.

Data from Seattle’s Ethics and Elections Commission shows that most of the contributions made to the recall effort came from Seattle residents that don’t live in District 3, while most of the contributions made to the Kshama Solidarity Campaign came from donors outside of the city.

Only District 3 residents could vote in the election. The district includes Capitol Hill, the Central District, First Hill, Madison Park, Little Saigon International District, Madrona, Mount Baker, North Beacon Hill and South Lake Union.

In the months leading up the recall, Sawant claimed that the recall organizers wanted the vote to take place in a special election, where turnout is often dreadfully low. The Kshama Solidarity Campaign even helped gather signatures to recall Sawant in the hopes the vote ended up on last month's general election ballot. 

There is no historical precedent for a Seattle recall election in December in an off year, but King County elections officials estimated between 50% and 60% turnout. It appears they were correct. Of the 77,579 registered voters in the district, 41,418 have returned a ballot. That amounts to about 53% turnout.