Yup, Seattle has elected a new Mamdani

NYC, Chicago, LA, San Fran and now Seattle. The party continues to tack left.

Some AI based research comparing the err...Socialists? Communists?

Comparison: Zohran Mamdani (NYC) vs. Katie Wilson (Seattle)

Both candidates represent a new wave of democratic socialist leadership in major American cities, and their campaigns have been explicitly compared to each other. Here's how their policies align and differ:

Core Similarities

Housing & Affordability

• Both support aggressive rent control and tenant protections. Mamdani proposes a rent freeze for 1 million rent-stabilized apartments, while Wilson advocates for rent stabilization with caps of 5-10% annual increases

• Both want to build large amounts of affordable housing - Mamdani proposes 200,000 affordable units through a Social Housing Development Agency, while Wilson supported Seattle's JumpStart Payroll Tax to fund affordable housing

Transit

• Both champion free or heavily subsidized public transit. Mamdani proposes eliminating all bus fares citywide, while Wilson has long advocated for better transit access and helped create the ORCA Lift reduced-fare program for low-income riders

Progressive Taxation

• Both propose higher taxes on corporations and wealthy individuals. Mamdani wants a 2% tax on those earning over $1 million and raising corporate tax rates to 11.5%, while Wilson supported the JumpStart Payroll Expense Tax on large employers

Democratic Socialist Identity

• Both self-identify as democratic socialists and are members of the Democratic Socialists of America

Key Policy Differences

Government Services

• Mamdani proposes more ambitious direct government provision of services: city-run grocery stores in all five boroughs, universal childcare for children 6 weeks to 5 years old

• Wilson has focused more on labor rights, minimum wage increases, and transit advocacy rather than direct government service provision

Minimum Wage

• Mamdani proposes raising NYC's local minimum wage to $30 by 2030 Wikipedia

• Wilson has advocated for minimum wage increases in multiple cities but hasn't proposed a specific $30 target