Seattle Mayor Ed Murray.
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray. Kelly O

For those wondering exactly how much the new sexual abuse allegations against Seattle Mayor Ed Murray will upend this year's mayor's race, one date looms large: May 19.

That's the deadline for candidates to declare their intention to run for mayor. It's presently just over a month away.

A lot has happened in the four days since The Seattle Times broke the news of a civil suit from an anonymous Kent man who says Murray abused him in the 1980s. A lot more is likely to happen over the next month or so, as May 19 approaches.

Murray, for his part, has denied the allegations, declared he's not resigning, and promised he'll keep on running for reelection. Seattle City Council President Bruce Harrell, who is in line to become mayor if Murray steps down early, has said that neither he nor any of his council colleagues will be commenting on the allegations.

Seattle political consultant Heather Weiner—who only a few hours after the Times story was published on April 6 announced she has a "viable, resourced potential challenger" in her pocket—has so far not brought that person forward. (This potential candidate, a woman who Weiner says has been pondering a mayoral run "for a couple months now," is still busy pondering—but likely to decide soon.)

It remains far from clear what all this caution among Seattle strivers suggests.

It could be that ambitious political types in this city are genuinely stunned, believe that Murray deserves the same presumption of innocence as any defendant in our legal system, and plan to wait for the legal process to play out a bit further.

It could also be that Murray, who has over $370,000 in his campaign war chest and seemed to be headed toward a relatively easy reelection before the lawsuit appeared, is still seen as a formidable candidate, even in his wounded state.

After all, Murray's been at the vanguard of urban resistance to Trump, can talk credibly about how the Seattle Police Department is now making progress on its reforms, and has plenty to say about his efforts to combat homelessness, increase density and affordable housing, raise the minimum wage, and enforce local labor laws. (Assuming anyone can hear him over what's sure to be a constant howl of intrigue and anxiety surrounding the sexual abuse allegations.)

Or, it could be that we'll see a parade of politicians stepping over what they believe to be Murray's political corpse on their way to claiming their imagined share of power and glory.

Who might join this kind of parade?

Who knows! It may never even materialize, ever.

But here's a whole bunch of people who conceivably might want to be mayor, or whose names might come up if Murray's fortunes were to tumble further downward:


Lorena González: She's only been a member of the Seattle City Council since 2015, but the former lawyer for Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has established herself as a strong advocate for sensible police reform and social justice. That one resume line—"former lawyer for Seattle Mayor Ed Murray"—might become trouble in the hands of a skilled challenger from the left. (There are already two in this race; before the announcement of the lawsuit, activists Nikkita Oliver and Andres Salomon were already challenging Murray.) Still, González is a skilled political tactician and has a powerful story to tell. She was raised in the Yakima Valley by migrant farmworkers and traveled a challenging road to become the first Latina elected to the council.

Ron Sims: Very busy on social media these days, but otherwise available? In 1986, Sims became the first African American elected to the King County Council and later spearheaded the drive to re-name King County after Martin Luther King, Jr. He went on to serve as King County Executive for more than a decade until being appointed Deputy Secretary for Housing and Urban Development by President Barack Obama in 2009. Sims spent two years in that job and is now back in Seattle, where he remains well-known, well-respected, and (if his Facebook and Twitter feeds are any indication) still obsessed with local and national political events.

Tim Burgess: Supposedly retiring from the city council this year, but has harbored mayoral ambitions in the past and might be intrigued if he senses an opportunity. Or, he might be too excited about post-retirement vacation plans. Burgess gets cast as a right-winger in Seattle, but would be labeled as a liberal snowflake in a lot of other cities in this country. He'd have a good shot at racking up votes in the white, white north end and would face challenges in other parts of town.

Greg Nickels: He was Seattle's mayor from 2002 through 2010, newbies, and was around for both the exciting launch of construction for Link light rail and the sports fan-crushing departure of the Seattle Supersonics. Also, the Seattle Times hated on Nickels because one time he didn't plow the streets fast enough after it snowed. Looking for redemption? Or at least another turn in the plow-driver's seat?

Mike McGinn: Rode into office on a wave of concern over the downtown tunnel project, rode out of office after one term on his electric-assist bicycle. People loved and hated McGinn, always passionately, and if you ask, he'll tell you at great length how misunderstood and wrongly maligned his tenure was. Maybe he'd like to tell us all from City Hall?

Sally Jewell: Went from being CEO of REI to being Barack Obama's Secretary of the Interior. Who knows if she even has a residence in Seattle, but she could afford one and would be an interesting candidate with crossover appeal among business, enviro, and smash-the-patriarchy crowds.

Howard Schultz: Recently resigned as CEO of Starbucks, keeps getting mentioned as someone who might run for president in 2020. Maybe he'd like some experience as an elected public official first?

Nick Hanauer: Mega-wealthy businessman who has strong political views, hangs with all the smartest people, and tweets a lot about how he knows what's best for the country. What could possibly go wrong?

Sally Bagshaw: Personal brand is: Nicest of the People Who are Not Mike O'Brien on the Seattle City Council. Also, Tougher Than Mike O'Brien. Could be an interesting candidate if the city is exhausted by details of child sexual abuse and eager for a calm, considered, steely, and studiously non-controversial voice.

Brady Walkinshaw: Represented Capitol Hill in the state legislature, ran to represent Seattle in Congress last year but lost to Pramila Jayapal, and is now helping to lead the environmental news site Grist. If the city is ready to consider another gay mayor who used to work in Olympia, he'd have a lot to offer.

Kshama Sawant: Hard to imagine her getting into a race that already features fellow barricade stormer Nikkita Oliver. Also hard to imagine her enjoying life when Mayor Murray is still in the race as damaged but determined goods, and not as the powerful punching bag Sawant loves to swing against. Plus, Sawant currently represents District 3 on the council (that's Capitol Hill, the Central District, and Montlake). Could her Socialist Alternative message win outside this fraction of Seattle?