Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is breaking with Democratic tradition by endorsing progressive challengers over two veteran state lawmakers, announcing that she will endorse progressive activist Hannah Sabio-Howell in her challenge against Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen and Ron Davis in his bid to unseat longtime state Rep. Gerry Pollet.
Hannah Krieg, an independent journalist and founder of The Burner Seattle, joined “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio to provide her initial response to the endorsement and whether it would hurt or help Sabio-Howell, and also what she believes Wilson’s supporters are feeling in the early stages of her term.
“I was shocked to see that endorsement. I had heard that there was some effort from big labor to try to get Wilson to weigh in on that race in the other direction and endorse Pedersen,” Krieg said. “Obviously, that didn’t go that way. I don’t know if it’s going to help or hurt Sabio-Howell, if it really matters. Her supporters basically seemed pretty excited about it. It’s legitimizing for someone who’s a challenger in general to like get a big name endorsement, even though I would say Wilson is somewhat not necessarily a standard bearer for the left right now.”…