Progressive activist Katie Wileson (left) and incumbent Democratic Party Mayor of Seattle Bruce Harrell (right) are battling in a razor-tin election to be Seattle's next mayor. (Katie Wilson Campaign/Getty Images)
"Yes, I am a socialist," Wilson said earlier this year. "I’m not out here waving a socialist flag, because I’m not a super ideological person. I’m also not sure that label will help me in the general election. But yes, I’m fine with being called a socialist"
Wilson, like Mamdani, has proposed the idea of implementing government-run grocery stores. She has also refused to commit to reducing Seattle's growing tent encampments, which have long been a growing problem for the city. Instead, Wilson has proposed moving the encampments on a "case-by-case" basis. Meanwhile, Wilson also pledged to "Trump-proof" the city of Seattle.
The far-left candidate is juxtaposed to a more established and experienced politician in Harrell, who was a member of the city council beginning in 2008 before eventually becoming mayor. Much of Harrell's attacks targeting Wilson, who describes herself as a policy nerd, have hinged on her lack of experience.
"She's really not even qualified to do the job. She hasn't had the experiences," Harrell said of Wilson during an interview leading up to last week's elections.
"The fact of the matter is, while my opponent has ideas, she hasn't done anything," Harrell added during a debate before the election as well. "She has no experience or training or ability to manage a budget. And what we think the voters will see is that running a major city like Seattle is a big job. And she's advancing some plans, like our 4,000 emergency housing, or shelter units, that just can't be done in how she's describing it. So you'll see the weakness in her platform – just complaints with no solutions."
SEATTLE RESPONSE TO HOMELESSNESS DIVIDES PROGRESSIVES IN UPCOMING MAYORAL RACE
In response to criticism about her alleged lack of experience, Wilson has acknowledged that she is "an outsider" in the sense she has not held elected office before. However, Wilson has contested that she is "an outsider who comes with an insider's knowledge and experience."
The Seattle skyline is pictured from a Washington State Ferry in Seattle, Washington. (REUTERS/Jason Redmond)
"Before I decided to run for office, my husband and I were just kind of juggling our kid back and forth," Wilson continued about the childcare costs her parents assisted with. "We didn't have her in daycare because it's so expensive. But then when I decided to run, we're like, we really need childcare."
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Wilson began getting paid a full-time paycheck from her Transit Riders Union nonprofit in 2019, seven years after it was founded in 2011. Tax records show that Wilson brought in $72,669 in 2022 for 55-hours of work. There are no records of Wilson's salary for 2023 or 2024, reportedly due to the fact the nonprofit changed tax preparers recently, according to PubliCola. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) does not require nonprofits to disclose salaries of employees making under $100,000 per year.
Wilson reported earning between $60,000 and $99,000 in a financial statement to the city upon declaring her candidacy for mayor. Wilson also reported income "less than $30,000" from PubliCola, The Urbanist and The Stranger, respectively, for work as a "columnist" for the left-wing online news outlets.
Wilson's campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on this article.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mamdani-style-candidate-living-off-parents-money-could-ouster-dem-incumbent-mayor