Seattle's 2023 General Elections: Key Takeaways and Surprising Results

The 2023 general elections in Seattle have shown that big business can easily influence the City Council with relatively small amounts of money, potentially resulting in a majority of council seats being held by corporate-backed candidates. Independent Expenditure committees funded by wealthy individuals and corporations played a significant role in supporting these candidates. The elections also revealed a shift towards tough-on-crime policies, with some candidates advocating for increased police presence and punitive approaches to issues like homelessness and drug addiction. However, there were some progressive victories in Tacoma, where a Democratic Socialist candidate is leading in a City Council race, and a renter's bill of rights initiative has a good chance of passing. Additionally, the King County Council is on track to elect its first Latina and Latino members. In the school board races, all of The Stranger-endorsed candidates are currently leading, indicating a desire for competent leadership in Seattle Public Schools. Finally, the housing levy renewal is passing, but critics argue that it falls short of adequately addressing the affordable housing crisis.