Seattle socialist Katie Wilson leads mayor race in new polling data

While the national media is obsessed with New York City’s move toward socialism under its rising star, Zahran MamdaniFew have noticed that Seattle is its ideological twin. What Mamdani is doing in Queens, progressive Katie Wilson is poised to replicate in the Pacific Northwest.

Wilson, an activist with almost no executive experience but whose roots run deep In SeattleIn far-left circles, incumbent Mayor Bruce Harrell leads in new polls. Its rise reflects the political realignment sweeping New York: a movement supported by younger activists with intense ideologies who view capitalism as the root of all injustice and government as the cure.

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A recent DHM Research poll found that Seattle voters are ready to hand City Council over to a slate of socialists and progressives. Wilson leads Harrell, while left-wing candidates are favored to win open city council seats and the city attorney race — the only citywide position still held by a Republican. It’s an echo of Mamdani’s coalition in New York, where Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) candidates seized power from traditional Democrats who once represented the city’s pragmatism.

The DSA, which supports Mamdani, has long treated Seattle as a second stronghold. Its influence was established a decade ago when Seattle City Council turns to “Amazon tax!” and “$15 now!” In national slogans. Mamdani followed the same playbook: distort wealth, demand redistribution and sell it as “justice.” Wilson also proudly sympathizes with Mamdani’s model of urban socialism. Like him, it wants to tax corporations and the wealthy to fund “social housing” — government-owned and city-managed apartment buildings.

Longtime progressive organizer Katie Wilson is running for mayor of Seattle, Washington (Katie Wilson for Seattle)

Mamdani calls for public ownership of public utilities and declares that capitalism has failed. In Seattle, Wilson uses softer language but with the same intent. It supports $1 billion in housing bonds, and frames private property as a social problem rather than a personal right. It’s the same ideal, just presented in Pacific Northwest literature. But the results will be the same.

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In New York, Mamdani’s wing helped drive companies out of the country, cripple housing construction, and expand welfare dependency. In Seattle, the ideological foundation has already been laid. Businesses are being overtaxed, downtowns are being emptied, and public safety remains in crisis. Now Wilson’s solution is more government—more taxes, more delegations, and more “compassionate” policies that treat criminals and addicts as victims of the system.

Wilson’s lack of executive experience exacerbates the risks. She has never run a department or oversee a meaningful budget, yet she is asking voters to entrust her with a $9 billion city government. She admitted to relying on her parents to cover childcare costs and “barely affording” her one-bedroom apartment — a relatable struggle, but not the resume for a financial leader.

New York’s Mamdani will demonstrate what happens when activists become CEOs: Ideology trumps practicality, creating a blueprint for dysfunction. Seattle would be next in line to follow suit.

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Harrell, though imperfect, represents at least a vestige of moderation. His criminal policies may lack force, and his leadership may be disappointing, but he knows that the city cannot survive on slogans. But Wilson belongs to a movement that considers pragmatism treason. She’s part of a generation of politicians who believe failure means you haven’t gone far enough.

Seattle’s left slide mirrors New York’s trajectory under Mamdani’s influence. In both cities, the democratic establishment has begun to lose its control to an extremist faction intent on replacing governance with political activism. In both cities, voters tired of the dysfunction are turning out, leaving room for the more ideologically extreme field. In both cities, the consequences were the same: higher taxes, fewer businesses, and a free fall for public safety.

DHM poll shows how far Seattle has strayed from common sense. Wilson received more than half the votes In the August primary. With voter turnout expected to be low, it will be activists – not ordinary voters – who will decide the city’s fate. This is exactly how Mamdani and his allies took control of politics in New York. The engaged few impose their ideology on the disengaged many.

Democrats in New Jersey are ignoring the endorsement of socialist candidate Mamdani as the state’s gubernatorial elections approach

To be clear, Wilson is not malicious. She is straightforward, honest, and willing to deal with critics. I spoke with her on my talk show Seattle Red, and I respect that openness. But honesty cannot replace results. The New York socialist experience has already shown what happens when compassion becomes policy and ideology becomes law. Crime rates rise, middle-class families leave, and the only people left are the rich who cannot escape or the poor who cannot survive without the state.

Supporters of Democratic mayoral candidate Zahran Mamdani gather outside 30 Rock in New York City on Thursday, October 16, 2025. (Fox News Digital/Deirdre Heavy)

If Wilson wins, Seattle will become a reflection of Mamdani’s West Coast New York — a laboratory of socialism disguised in the language of justice. A city that once embodied innovation will be run by an activist who still receives financial help from parents while proposing to manage billions in taxpayer money.

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This isn’t just limited to Seattle or New York. It’s about a growing movement that uses the largest company in America Blue cities As a basis for proving democratic socialism. When it fails – and it will happen – the problem will not be just local. Its influence will extend abroad, emboldening policymakers in Washington, D.C., and statehouses across the country, who view cities like Seattle and New York as ideological test cases.

On November 4, voters in Seattle will decide whether to follow New York down this path. The choice is not between left and right, but between pragmatism and ideology, between reality and fantasy.

Wilson’s lack of executive experience exacerbates the risks. She has never run a department or oversee a meaningful budget, yet she is asking voters to entrust her with a $9 billion city government.

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If Wilson wins, it will not only be a story for Seattle, but a national warning. Urban centers in America have become Socialist city states – Run by activists, funded by taxpayers, and justified by failure.

What starts in New York doesn’t stay there. If Seattle follows suit, it will not only lose its soul. It will export its mistakes to the rest of the country.

Click here to read more from Jason Rantz