2021 Seattle mayoral election

The 2021 Seattle mayoral election was held on November 2, 2021, to elect the Mayor of Seattle. It was won by former Seattle City Council President Bruce Harrell, who defeated then-current President Lorena González; both candidates had advanced from a nonpartisan primary election on August 3.

Incumbent mayor Jenny Durkan initially sought reelection to a second term in office in February 2020, but withdrew that December due to backlash from her handling of the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic in Seattle as well as the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest during the George Floyd protests.

Harrell held a 24-point lead over González when she conceded on November 4; his margin of victory was the largest of a non-incumbent candidate in a Seattle mayoral race since the 1969 election of Wesley C. Uhlman. Harrell took over as mayor on January 1, 2022, having previously held the position as acting mayor for five days in September 2017 upon the resignation of Ed Murray; due to a spike in COVID-19 cases, he was sworn in privately the prior week and held a small inauguration ceremony on January 4.

The 2021 election was the first in which mayoral candidates were eligible to use Seattle's democracy vouchers program, which has captured the interest of other cities.

Declared

 * Clinton Bliss, medical doctor and small business owner
 * Henry Dennison, rail worker and candidate for Governor in 2020
 * James Donaldson, activist, former Seattle SuperSonics player, and candidate for mayor in 2009
 * Colleen Echohawk, executive director of the Chief Seattle Club
 * Jessyn Farrell, state representative for the 46th district (2013–2017), candidate for mayor in 2017
 * Lorena González, president of the Seattle City Council (2020–present), at-large city council-member (2015–present)
 * Bruce Harrell, former acting mayor (2017), former president of the Seattle City Council (2016–2020), former city council-member (2008–2016; 2016–2020), candidate for mayor in 2013
 * Andrew Grant Houston, renter, small business owner, and activist
 * Arthur K. Langlie, businessman and grandson of former mayor of Seattle and governor of Washington Arthur B. Langlie
 * Stan Lippman, disbarred attorney and perennial candidate
 * Don L. Rivers, King County Metro worker
 * Lance Randall, executive director of Southeast Effective Development Seattle
 * Casey Sixkiller, deputy mayor of Seattle
 * Omari Tahir-Garrett, activist and candidate for Seattle City Council District 2 in 2019
 * Bobby Tucker, author

Withdrew

 * Jenny Durkan, incumbent mayor

Declined

 * Gordon McHenry Jr., president and CEO of the United Way of King County
 * Cary Moon, activist, urban planner, and runner-up for mayor in 2017
 * Teresa Mosqueda, city councillor (endorsed Lorena Gonzalez)
 * Joe Nguyen, state senator (running for King County Executive)
 * Nikkita Oliver, Attorney, community activist and candidate for mayor in 2017 (running for Seattle City Council)
 * Rebecca Saldaña, state senator (endorsed Lorena Gonzalez)
 * Girmay Zahilay, member of the King County Council

Polling

 * Graphical summary

Results
By August 6, Echohawk, Farrell, and Houston had all conceded, and Harrell and González were viewed as the winners of the primary.

Candidates

 * Lorena González, city council president
 * Bruce Harrell, former city council president

Endorsements
Endorsements in bold were made after the primary election.

Polling

 * Graphical summary