Kshama Sawant Will Not Seek 4th Term On Seattle City Council

SEATTLE — No matter what happens in November, the next iteration of the Seattle City Council promises to be very different.

Kshama Sawant on Thursday became the fourth incumbent to announce she will not seek reelection this year. A member of Socialist Alternative, Sawant has served on the council since 2014 and is its most senior member after narrowly surviving a recall vote in 2021.

Her decision to not seek reelection follows recent announcements from Council President Debora Juarez, District 1 Councilmember Lisa Herbold, and District 4 Councilmember Alex Pedersen.

Seven of the council's nine seats are up for reelection this year, with two citywide positions up in 2025. To date, Councilmember Andrew Lewis, whose district includes downtown, is the only incumbent to launch a reelection campaign.

Sawant announced her decision in an op-ed published in The Stranger Thursday morning and had a news conference scheduled for 11 a.m.

In the piece, the council member championed her accomplishments in helping secure a $15 minimum wage, stronger protections for renters, and a payroll tax.

"In our four election victories and in every struggle, we've had to overcome the combined might of big business, the corporate media, and the political establishment," Sawant wrote. "Each time, working people refused to back down, and we have prevailed again and again."

Criticizing a "rapacious and parasitic capitalist class," along with prominent Democrats like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Pramila Jayapal, Sawant said she would forgo a reelection campaign to focus on building a national movement called "Workers Strike Back." The council member said launch events for the group were planned in several cities in early March, including a rally in Seattle on March 4. Sawant will also co-host a new video project called "On Strike."

Until her term is up on Dec. 31, Sawant said her office will continue fighting for issues like rent control and workers' rights.

"One final thing — while I'm sure the corporate establishment in Seattle will be very happy with the news that I am not running again, they shouldn't rush to mix their martinis just yet, because we are not done here," she said.