Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell faces a hard reelection fight against progressive activist Katie Wilson

SEATTLE (AP) — Democratic Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell faces a tough reelection fight against progressive activist Katie Wilson as voters in the liberal city recoil from President Donald Trump's second term and question whether the incumbent has done enough to address public safety, homelessness and affordability.

Harrell, an attorney who previously served three terms on the City Council, was elected mayor in 2021 following the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic and racial justice protests over George Floyd's murder by Minneapolis police.

It will likely take several days to determine a winner in Tuesday's contest. In Washington state's all-mail elections, ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, meaning a substantial portion of the vote is counted after Tuesday.

With crime falling, more police being hired, less visible drug use and many homeless encampments removed from city parks, the business-backed Harrell seemed likely to cruise to reelection at this time last year. He's been endorsed by Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson, Attorney General Nick Brown and former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

But Trump's return to office has helped reawaken Seattle's progressive voters. The lesser-known Wilson, a democratic socialist running a campaign that echoes some of the themes of progressive mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani in New York, trounced Harrell by nearly 10 percentage points in the August primary.

“Voters in places like Seattle are frustrated with the status quo, particularly in the context of Trump’s attacks on blue cities,” said Sandeep Kaushik, a Seattle political consultant who is not involved in the race. “They’re kind of moving back into their progressive bunker and are much more inclined to say, ‘Yeah, we should go our own way with our own bold progressive solutions.’ That all that plays into Katie’s hands.”

Wilson, 43, studied at Oxford College but did not graduate. She founded the small nonprofit Transit Riders Union in 2011 and has led campaigns for better public transportation, higher minimum wages, stronger renter protections and more affordable housing. She herself is a renter, living in a one-bedroom apartment in the city's Capitol Hill neighborhood, and says that has shaped her understanding of Seattle's affordability crisis.

Wilson has criticized Harrell as doing too little to provide more shelter and said his encampment sweeps have been cosmetic, merely pushing unhoused people around the city. Wilson also paints him as a city hall fixture who bears responsibility for the status quo.

She has been endorsed by several Democratic organizations as well as by U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the former chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Harrell, 67, played on the Rose Bowl champion University of Washington football team in 1978 before going to law school. His father, who was Black, came to Seattle from the segregated Jim Crow South, and his mother, a Japanese American, was incarcerated at an internment camp in Minidoka, Idaho, during World War II after officials seized her family's Seattle flower shop — experiences that fostered his understanding of the importance of civil rights and inclusivity.

Harrell has said Wilson, who has no traditional management experience, isn't ready to lead a city with more than 13,000 employees and a budget of nearly $9 billion. He also has criticized her for supporting efforts to slash the city's police budget amid the 2020 racial justice protests.

Wilson has said that proposal was based on some fundamental misunderstandings and that she since has learned a lot about how the police department works. She says she supports having a department that is adequately staffed, responsive and accountable to the community.

Both Harrell and Wilson have touted plans for affordable housing, combatting crime and attempting to Trump-proof the city, which receives about $150 million a year in federal funding. Both want to protect Seattle’s sanctuary city status.

Wilson has proposed a city-level capital gains tax to help offset federal funding the city might lose and to pay for housing; Harrell says that’s ineffective because a city capital gains tax could easily be avoided by those who would be required to pay it.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell speaks with attendees after a climate forum Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Maddy Grassy)

Seattle mayoral candidate Katie Wilson speaks during a climate forum Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Maddy Grassy)

Seattle mayor Bruce Harrell smiles during a climate forum Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Maddy Grassy)

Seattle mayoral candidate Katie Wilson speaks with attendees after a climate forum Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Maddy Grassy)

Seattle mayor Bruce Harrell, left, and mayoral candidate Katie Wilson, right, listen during a climate forum Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Maddy Grassy)

MADRID (AP) — Anastasia Potapova dropped to her knees, put both hands on her face and started crying.

The “explosion of emotions inside” came after the 56th-ranked Austrian became the first “lucky loser” to reach a WTA 1000 semifinal by defeating Karolina Pliskova 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-3 on Wednesday at the Madrid Open.

She almost gave up the victory, squandering three match points in the second set and having to overcome a 1-3 deficit in the decisive set.

“I (had) a few match points in the second set, on serve, but I couldn't manage my nerves at that time,” the 25-year-old Potapova said. “It seems that this tournament keeps giving me second chances and I keep using them. So yeah, supper happy.”

The Russian-born Potapova said she got a huge boost when her boyfriend, Dutch player Tallon Griekspoor, arrived to watch.

“I was a little bit gone mentally in the third set. I didn’t believe in myself at that moment,” she said. “But big respect to my boyfriend who came just on time. He saved me. He kept telling me, ‘You can do this, we are all together here, just keep going.’”

Potapova said Griekspoor is “not scared” of telling her anything and deserved some credit for her victory.

“I just played, and mentally he kept me there,” she said. “It just happened at the such important moment, and it gave me a lot of energy. Mentally, I think he got this match. I did it physically. He did it mentally."

She will face either Linda Noskova or Marta Kostyuk for a spot in the final.

Potapova got into the main draw as a lucky loser despite losing her second qualifying match in Madrid. She became the first lucky loser to reach a WTA 1000 or Tier I semifinal since the Tier format’s inception in 1990, according to the WTA.

Potapova went on to win four straight matches, including against world No. 2 Elena Rybakina in the round of 16.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect myself being in the draw again because at first they didn’t take my name as a lucky loser,” she said. “And then the days kept on going and nobody was injured or pulling out. Then the last moment I got the information, literally 30 minutes before the match, that I was given a chance to step on court here again.”

She said she had been just enjoying “some nice days” in the Spanish capital, with no expectations.

“Maybe that’s the key, you don’t need to be always so zoomed in and so locked in on the tournament,” Potapova said. “Maybe it’s just a matter of sometimes just enjoy yourself and enjoy the journey, and maybe that’s how the results can also come.”

She said it feels like “a miracle” to have made it all the way to the semifinals.

"It’s pretty rare when you get the second chance and that you go almost all the way until the end,” Potapova said. “But also at the same time I always say, if you got it, maybe you deserved it. So I did work hard. Also, you know, anyone can get a second chance, but how many of those will actually take it? So I’m happy that I didn’t waste it, and I was able to convert it and to be here now.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic reacts during her match against Anastasia Potapova of Russia during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Pablo Garcia)

Anastasia Potapova of Russia returns the ball to Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Pablo Garcia)

Anastasia Potapova of Russia reacts during her match against Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Pablo Garcia)

Anastasia Potapova of Russia reacts during her match against Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Pablo Garcia)

Anastasia Potapova of Russia returns the ball to Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Pablo Garcia)