SEATTLE — Sara Nelson was elected to Seattle City Council position 9 after capturing 60% of the vote following an initial ballot count Tuesday night.
After the third round of ballots were counted Nov. 4, Nelson has 54% of the vote. Nikkita Oliver trails with 46%.
Position 9, which is a city-wide seat, is open after Council President Lorena González decided to run for mayor.
Oliver, who is an attorney, organizer and educator, and Nelson, who is the co-owner of Fremont Brewing, have both said Seattle needs change but disagree on what that change should look like.
On housing, Oliver has said they would push for rent control while Nelson would prefer direct payments to renters.
On public safety, Oliver is among advocates who want to cut the Seattle police budget by 50%. However, Nelson has said while she doesn't want to abolish the police department, she does support community-driven police reform.
Both Nelson and Oliver have previously dabbled in Seattle politics. Oliver ran for mayor in 2017, coming in third in the primary. Nelson ran for Seattle City Council's Position 8 seat in 2017, also coming in third in the primary.
Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, who won the Position 8 race in 2017, is running for re-election against challenger Kenneth Wilson.