Sign Up for Newsletters
Socialist Gaining In Seattle Council Race
File photo of people voting on ballots. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
News
SEATTLE (AP) — A socialist candidate is gaining as more ballots are counted in a close Seattle City Council race.
Kshama Sawant initially trailed incumbent Richard Conlin by more than 6,000 votes, but that has narrowed to about 1,200 votes — 76,170 to 74,933.
The next count of ballots for elections in King County will be released at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. More mail-in ballots may be counted before election results are certified Nov. 26.
Sawant is a former software engineer and economist who made a proposed $15 an hour minimum wage the centerpiece of her campaign.
Conlin is seeking his fifth term on the city council.
Council races in Seattle are non-partisan but Sawant won a court decision to list her Socialist preference on the November ballot.
(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
