Lefty Seattle mayoral challenger Katie Wilson is on track to win out over incumbent Bruce Harrell — thanks in part to her parents 2,700 miles away in New York state, who send her money for expenses.
Wilson, 43, leads Harrell, 67, by a razor-thin margin of 50.25% as officials continue to count the ballots from Election Day, according to the latest numbers obtained by King 5.
In the meantime, Wilson revealed that her parents — both professors — have been funding her personal life with cash payments.
“They send me a check periodically to help with the child care expenses,” Wilson, 43, told KUOW last month.
That money goes toward day care for Wilson’s 2-year-old, which costs $2,200 per month, so she can focus on her campaign, she told the outlet.
The crushing expenses of living in Seattle inspired her to run for office in the first place, said the mayoral hopeful, who moved to Seattle in her 20s with her now-husband.
“My husband and I were just kind of juggling our kid back and forth … But then when I decided to run, we’re like, we really need child care,” Wilson told KUOW.
Her parents’ investment may pay off: Wilson, who focused on homelessness, taxing the rich and other progressive policies, is at the cusp of unseating the Democrat Harrell.
He shot to a 10,000-vote head start on Election Day, but his early lead soon melted away as the tallies came in.
Around 1,700 ballots still need signature verification, and both candidates are scrambling to find those people and have finalized their votes, according to King 5.
The would end in a drawn-out recount if one candidate were to win with less than 2,000 votes — an ever more likely outcome as the votes roll in.
Wilson has also pitched free summer child care to Seattle voters.
“Who doesn’t love summer in Seattle? Parents. … Every parent knows that finding childcare is difficult. But finding affordable child care is next to impossible,” she said in an Instagram video.
