With today's election results drop, with roughly 53% of expected votes incumbent Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell widens his lead to 53.8% to 45.7%, or roughly 11,200 votes. It's certainly not a great result for Wilson, but there are still many votes to be tallied.

What we know, final edition of the night: [Now in 3 parts] —Prop 50 wins —VA Dems flip Gov, LG, AG —Dems gain leg seats in VA, NJ, & MS —Dems defend NJ-Gov —Dems win NJ+VA trifectas —Mamdani wins —PA Dems win state supreme court —ME anti-mail voting measure loses —GA Dems flip 2 statewide offices

The vibe at Katie’s party definitely turned a little dour after the results dropped. My read is that Katie has a better than 50% chance of pulling ahead, based on past election trends. Either way, it’s going to be close and we won’t get a clear picture until Friday afternoon.

Progressive Seattle mayoral candidate Katie Wilson says she's hopeful after preliminary results shows she's 7% behind incumbent Bruce Harrell. All other progressive candidates are winning. Historically, late returns swing toward left-wing candidates.

BREAKING: MAMDANI HAS WON according to Decision Desk

Turnout is now up to about 24% in King County and 27% in Seattle. This rate is a little lower than in 2021, indicating turnout could reach about ~40% countywide. 9 hours left to turn in your ballot!

We are just one day out from the Seattle local elections! Only 17.6% of King County voters and just under 20% of Seattle voters have returned their ballots. So far, only 1 in 17 young gen Z voters have voted, compared to more than 1 in 3 boomers. Don't forget to vote if you are eligible and want to.

It’s increasingly clear that KCRHA was never about actually ending homelessness, but just crisis management, PR and an entity that can serve as the scapegoat. By definition, that type of organization has an inherent shelf life.

Crosscut is dead. Long live Crosscut. Today’s the official last day for me and my Cascade PBS newsroom colleagues. We did good work over the decades and it is supremely sad to see it shut down.

"Arsonists complain about large fire" The affordable housing crisis is principally a problem caused by the unchecked expansion of tech capital and its unequal distribution. www.geekwire.com/2025/the-eno...

2. And @guyoron.net on the different visions on how to deal with homelessness encampments as the mayor, who has managed a record number of sweeps, seeks a second term: boltsmag.org/seattle-mayo...

For Seattle readers... you already know you have big races on the ballot in 5 days. But don't miss our reporting on why it matters! 1. @amysundberg.bsky.social on the local prosecutor race, where the only GOP official in Seattle is up for reelection: boltsmag.org/city-attorne...

Seattle City Attorney candidate Erika Evans joined @realchangenews.bsky.social to discuss her plans to tackle structural injustices in the criminal legal system and fight back against Trump. She also didn't hold back on her criticism of incumbent Ann Davison: www.realchangenews.org/news/2025/10...

INVESTIGATION: Inside Project Nimbus To secure the lucrative contract, Google & Amazon agreed to secretly notify Israel if a foreign court demands its data, and disregard their own terms of service. By Yuval Abraham www.972mag.com/project-nimb... @mekomit.bsky.social

New polling from @nwprogressive.org finds that King County Executive candidates Girmay Zahilay and Claudia Balducci are statistically tied, with Balducci at 37% to Zahilay’s 35%. 28% were unsure. Want to learn more? I interviewed both candidates for @realchangenews.bsky.social (see thread below 👇🏼)

There’s just one week until the Seattle local elections! Did you know you know there are four ballot measures voters will decide on? I wrote a short explainer on them and what they would do, if approved: www.realchangenews.org/news/2025/10...

🐣 Hello BlueSky! If you want the latest on Seattle news, culture, and events, follow along here, and find us on IG/TikTok @citycastseattle. We just launched our daily newsletter: seattle.citycast.fm And our daily podcast launches November 4!

For 16 years, King County has had the same person helming the ship: former KC Exec Dow Constantine. @guyoron.net spoke to the front runners who hope to take on the mantle: Claudia Balducci & Girmay Zahilay. Read about both & check out all of our 2025 election coverage online ➡️ bit.ly/realvote2025

Journalists are not a target. Protect and free Muammar Ibrahim

Journalism is not a crime. Free Sami Hadmi

Congrats to the International Examiner on a successful community voice awards gala! Wonderful to see an outpouring of support for fearless, independent journalism by and for our Seattle AAPINH communities, as well as iconic local leaders being honored.

Thank you so much @spjwash.bsky.social for the award! So appreciative of your commitment to local journalism. Felt extra special to receive it on my birthday 🥰

An icon.

In just two weeks, Seattle voters will be heading to the polls. Curious about where both mayoral candidates stand? Check out these in-depth interviews below:

There is no precedent for ICE spending on small arms ICE bought guns, including automatic rifles, and armor, but there have also been significant purchases of chemical weapons and guided missile warheads and explosive components. More weapons, more violence They are going to war against Americans

Tense scene as Feds unload in #Portland for a shift change. This is not the No Kings rally.

Scenes from the “No Kings” march, Oct. 18, 2025. Tens of thousands of Portland, Oregon residents turned out, joining millions across the country. www.tiktok.com/t/ZTMaPo7F1/

Another dangerous step toward open war against Venezuela by the Trump administration.

Since the start of Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s aggressive removal policy, city officials have seen a significant drop in the number of tent and RV encampments. Harrell’s opponent in this year’s race wants to ban most encampment sweeps. boltsmag.org/seattle...

Great video about the struggle for walkable cities in India www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FC-...

BREAKING: Amazon has fired Palestinian tech worker Ahmed Shahrour, five weeks after he was suspended for speaking out about the company’s ties to Israel.

Earlier this year, @realchangenews.bsky.social vendor Don Lowe passed away. He cultivated a community of 50+ friends who cared for him in the last part of his life. They pooled their funds every month to pay his rent for more than 5 years. It truly shows how an act of kindness can snowball.

Horrible news. Palestinian journalists deserve safety and protection!

Hell yeah @guyoron.net in bolts!

Great writing by @guyoron.net in Bolts on the regional challenges with homelessness in Seattle and the Mayor’s race. Take a read!

Seattle is on track to have spent $85 million on homeless encampment sweeps during Mayor Bruce Harrell’s term by the end of 2025. He argues sweeps don’t solve homelessness, but they are necessary for public safety.

NEW: In the hotly contested Seattle mayoral race, homelessness has become a fault line. Challenger Katie Wilson criticizes incumbent Bruce Harrell’s record, which includes carrying out more than 6,000 sweeps of homeless encampments. Read my full article in @boltsmag.org: boltsmag.org/seattle-mayo...

NEW: One of the left's big opportunities next month is Seattle's mayoral race, & the city's approach to homeless has become a huge fault line there. The incumbent mayor has dramatically scaled up sweeps, and his challenger is testing whether voters thinks he's gone too far:

Who do we mean when we say “Black Seattle”? This mayoral race isn’t about personalities—it’s about whether symbolism becomes substance. What do “seats at the table” mean if the rest of us go hungry? My latest column for the @soseaemerald.bsky.social

🚨BREAKING: Hamas and Palestinian Factions Agree to Gaza Ceasefire Framework “From our side, yes,” a senior Hamas official told Drop Site News’ @jeremyscahill.com www.dropsitenews.com/p/breaking-h...

UPDATE: Jas Ikeda and the rest of the U.S. flotilla participants have been released from Israeli detention

Excellent local piece here from @ashleyhiruko.bsky.social + @kuow.org + @propublica.org.

Washington State resident Jas Ikeda is among 42 Global Sumud Flotilla activists going on hunger strike to protest inhumane conditions within Israeli prisons. More than 300 flotilla members remain in detention, days after Israel illegally intercepted them.

VIDEO: This week, the Israeli navy intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, a humanitarian mission to supply aid to Gaza, Palestine. A total of 42 boats were seized and more than 450 activists, including Washington State resident Jas Ikeda, were arrested by Israeli authorities. Hear from her directly:

Washington State resident Jas Ikeda is believed to be among the 450 Global Sumud Flotilla activists detained by Israel. So far, none of her federal representatives have issued any statements on the interception or her arrest, which was illegal under international law.

BREAKING: Washington State resident Jas Ikeda has been intercepted by the Israeli navy while delivering aid to Gaza with the Global Sumud Flotilla. She was aboard the Sirius-Haifa, one of the group's leading vessels. Her whereabouts are currently unknown.

UPDATE: Ikeda, who is sailing on in the Sirius-Haifa, one of the two leading ships of the Global Sumud Flotilla, says that two Israeli naval vessels approached the group early this morning and interfered with their communications:

NEW: Washington State resident Jas Ikeda, a participant of the Global Sumud Flotilla delivering humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, says she is in imminent risk of naval interception by Israel. Read the developing story below: gossipguy.net/washington-s...

INBOX: City officials have announced Seattle's minimum wage will rise to $21.30 an hour in 2026 to account for inflation. This will ensure the city remains one of the highest minimum wage cities in the country. Washington State will have a minimum wage of $17.13 an hour in 2026.