The Sunday Observer: Rich donors look at blocking Seattle election changes

Proposals before voters this fall could freeze out establishment candidates

Seattle’s monied political donors aren’t shy about influencing the city’s elections. In last year’s municipal campaigns, wealth-fueled political action committees helped elect Mayor Bruce Harrell by a wide margin, pushed business-friendly Sarah Nelson onto the city council past a much more progressive opponent, and blocked abolitionist public defender Nichole Thomas Kennedy from becoming the city’s top prosecutor.

Now some of those donors are exploring how they might defeat two competing proposals to change the city’s primary elections — changes that might make it harder for establishment candidates to advance to the general election. You should care about this regardless of how you feel about the last few Seattle mayors. Players don’t like to change the rules of the game when they’re winning.