Building on public safety solutions, a more than 80% decrease in tent encampments, and historic affordable housing investments, Harrell would be Seattle’s first mayor elected to a second term in two decades.

Seattle – Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell registered his re-election campaign with the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, noting his intent to seek re-election. The mayor released the following statement:

“During my first term, we’ve made real progress and put our One Seattle approach into action – advancing our shared priorities by uniting the people of our city together around common values. We’ve delivered public safety solutions, kept parks and sidewalks open and accessible while moving people into shelter and housing with services, made historic investments in affordable housing, prioritized a transportation system focused on safety, and passed nation-leading climate legislation. But there is more work to do – this is the time for proven leadership to stand up for our values and keep Seattle moving forward as a city that is welcoming, affordable, and safe. Today, I registered my re-election campaign and look forward to kicking off this effort early next year.”

In the midst of the pandemic, Harrell was elected Seattle mayor in 2021 by the largest margin for a non-incumbent candidate since 1969. Harrell has brought a new tone to City Hall as mayor and championed collaborative initiatives to improve public safety, address homelessness with urgency and compassion, drive post-pandemic recovery for workers and local businesses, and strengthen Seattle’s spirit of innovation through new policies and programs. Select accomplishments include:

• A comprehensive approach to public safety that has delivered help to those in need and focused police efforts on those committing crimes of violence and trafficking deadly drugs on our streets; the creation of the Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) department with behavioral health responders equipped to support people in crisis; and SPD officer applications at their highest rate in over a decade.
• An over 80% decrease in tent encampments, more than 60% decrease in RVs at encampments, and record numbers of shelter referrals and placements, helping those in need find stability, services, and a pathway to recovery while ensuring parks, sidewalks, and public spaces are open and accessible to all.
• Historic, record investments in affordable housing, including funding over $1 billion dollars toward affordable housing in his first term to create thousands of units; decreasing red tape to make it easier and quicker to build housing; and a Comprehensive Plan Update proposal to double Seattle’s housing capacity.
• A dual public health and public safety approach to the crisis of fentanyl, with new treatment strategies like the Health 99 Post-Overdose Team and enforcement efforts that are contributing to an 18% reduction in fatal overdoses.
• Landmark climate efforts – passing the nation-leading Building Emissions Performance Standard to create clean buildings, advancing community-driven climate investment strategies earning global recognition from C40 Cities, supporting sustainable healthy food programming, and issuing an Executive Order to accelerate climate action citywide.
• The proposal and passage of the “Keep Seattle Moving” transportation levy – an unprecedented $1.5 billion investment in a safer transportation system, increased transit access, needed new sidewalks, and maintaining and modernizing existing streets, bridges, and other assets.
• A Downtown Activation Plan with new initiatives driving revitalization in the core of the city, supporting millions of visitors and hotel occupancy at pre-pandemic levels, preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and seeing the transformational Waterfront project through to completion including the opening of Overlook Walk and the new aquarium.
• Progress on longstanding Seattle challenges, including an update to Industrial and Maritime Land zoning to protect family wage jobs, finalization of the tree code after nearly 15 years of delay to protect tree canopy and allow needed new housing, a new proposal to build affordable housing at the former Fort Lawton site in Magnolia, and sustained compliance with the federal consent decree putting the City on track to exit next year.
• Increased wages for human service providers, strengthened protections for gig workers, and passed legislation to improve equity in the cannabis industry, along with recognition as MLK Labor’s Best Elected Official in 2024.

Mayor Harrell has received early endorsements for re-election from Governor-elect and Attorney General Bob Ferguson; Attorney General-elect Nick Brown; Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal; Congressman Adam Smith; Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland; Secretary of State Steve Hobbs; King County Executive Dow Constantine; State Senators Jamie Pedersen, Joe Nguyen, and Javier Valdez; State Representatives Lauren Davis, Chipalo Street, David Hackney, and Sharon Tomiko Santos; Port Commissioners Ryan Calkins, Sam Cho, Fred Felleman, Toshiko Hasegawa, and Hamdi Mohamed; regional Mayors Victoria Woodards (Tacoma), Lynne Robinson (Bellevue), Angela Birney (Redmond), Dana Ralph (Kent), Nancy Backus (Auburn), and Armando Pavone (Renton); former Governors Gary Locke and Christine Gregoire; and former Seattle Mayors Greg Nickels, Norm Rice, and Wes Uhlman; and many more.

Harrell will publicly kick off his re-election campaign early next year and will participate in the Democracy Voucher program. Learn more at BruceforSeattle.com.