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Seattle Democratic Socialists of America

Seattle Democratic Socialists of America is the Seattle local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a democratic socialist political organization in the United States. Seattle DSA expanded during DSA's national post-2016 growth and has participated in Seattle protests, electoral campaigns, labor organizing, and housing campaigns.

History
Seattle DSA was small before the 2016 Bernie Sanders presidential campaign. Seattle DSA grew alongside DSA's national post-2016 expansion and was active in Seattle municipal politics by 2017, including Seattle City Council election runs. ==Electoral campaigns==
Electoral campaigns
Elected offices In the nonpartisan 2017 Seattle mayoral election, Seattle DSA endorsed Nikkita Oliver, who ran on the "Seattle People's Party" ballot line and came 3rd in the top-two primary with 31,366 votes (17.27%). Oliver's local Seattle People's Party campaign was separate from the later national Movement for a People's Party effort. In the nonpartisan 2017 Seattle City Council election, Seattle DSA endorsed Jon Grant, a former Tenants Union of Washington State leader, for Position 8 (at-large). Grant placed 2nd in the top-two primary and lost in the general election with 68,441 votes (43.96%). Morales had previously been a Seattle DSA member, but no longer identified as a socialist. Morales won the top-two primary and won the general election with 16,379 votes (60.47%). Seattle DSA member Shaun Scott, a former 2016 DNC delegate for Bernie Sanders, announced his campaign The Stranger. Seattle DSA endorsed Scott, but not Morales. Scott placed 2nd in the top-two primary Lascelles' ballot ran on the "Seattle People's Party" ballot line. and lost the general election with 31,029 votes (33.4%). In the nonpartisan 2021 Seattle City Council election, Seattle DSA endorsed Nikkita Oliver for Seattle City Council Position 9. Oliver placed 1st in the top-two primary and lost the general election, with 119,025 votes (45.99%). In the City Attorney election, Seattle DSA endorsed Nicole Thomas-Kennedy. Thomas-Kennedy placed 1st in the top-two primary Sawant joined DSA in February 2021. Sawant narrowly won the recall by just 310 votes, or 0.76% of the 41,033 votes cast. Sawant left DSA in 2024. In the 2022 US House elections, Seattle DSA endorsed Stephanie Gallardo for . In the 2023 Seattle City Council election, Seattle DSA endorsed Matthew Mitnick. In March, ten former campaign members published a statement against Mitnick, leading Mitnick to withdraw in April. In the partisan 2024 Washington House of Representatives election, Seattle DSA endorsed DSA member Shaun Scott for district 43 position 2. Scott ran on the Democratic ballot line. and won the general with 49,990 votes (68.4%). In 2025, Katie Wilson won the partisan Seattle mayoral election as a Democrat. Wilson is a self-described democratic socialist, but is not a member and was not endorsed by Seattle DSA. Ballot initiatives In the 2020s, Seattle DSA increasingly emphasized ballot campaigns, including Seattle social-housing measures and South King County wage initiatives. I-135 passed in the February 14, 2023 special election with 57.09% of the vote. Proposition 1A then defeated Proposition 1B in the February 11, 2025 special election by 63.13% to 36.87%. Seattle DSA backed the 1A campaign. Seattle DSA was a lead organizing group in the "Raise the Wage Renton" campaign, a ballot measure that sought to set the minimum wage at $20.29 for larger employers and $18.29 for smaller covered employers. The measure passed in the February 13, 2024 special election, with 58.04% in favor and 41.96% against, and increased Renton's minimum wage beginning July 1, 2024. == Other campaigns ==
Other campaigns
Seattle DSA has supported Starbucks Workers United and promoted local solidarity actions during Starbucks organizing drives and strikes. Seattle DSA also backed the unionization effort at Index Media in Seattle. In February 2021, Seattle DSA joined labor and tenant-rights groups in a Renton protest that supported the union drive in Amazon's Bessemer warehouse and demanded stronger renter protections. On January 27, 2024, protesters occupied US Representative Adam Smith's district office in Seattle during a Gaza ceasefire action. Smith had contacted Seattle DSA before and remained open to meeting afterward. ==See also==
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