The last time Sawant was on the ballot, in a 2019 city council race, challenger Egan Orion led by eight percentage points on election night, only to lose decisively in later returns. In Seattle, later returns have typically favored progressive candidates.
The special election comes a month after Seattle voters in the general election appeared to lean away from progressive candidates for the Seattle City Council and in the races for mayor and city attorney.
But Sawant, a Socialist who is a frequent speaker at protests and events for progressive causes, has beaten the establishment and her other detractors before. Sawant was first elected in 2013, ousting longtime Councilmember Richard
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