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.
