Realtors go big in Seattle, Spokane

Plus a dive into the state of the state's workforce

The National Association of Realtors is about to pour more than $376,000 into municipal races in Seattle and Spokane. More than $200K is aimed at four races for the Seattle City Council, two of which target progressive incumbents.

Here’s why you should care about this: Until recently, the Seattle city political races had mostly been playing nice in the democracy-voucher sandbox and operating under that system’s strict limits on campaign spending.

But that level of spending doesn’t reflect the concerns of players like the Realtors,¹ who care deeply about maintaining a favorable climate for buying and selling real estate. Pre-COVID, folks were making bank in that world as the city and its property values skyrocketed. Since then, issues of public safety and homelessness, along with the work-from-home movement, have the real estate world deeply freaked out about the city’s future.