A bunch of incredibly talkative people represent your interests at all levels of the American power structure. If you live in Seattle, at least 27 people take care of civic business for you: one mayor, nine Seattle City Council members, one King County executive, nine King County Council members, two representatives to the Washington State Legislature (representing your district), one state senator (representing your district), one governor, one congresswoman (or congressman, depending on your Seattle neighborhood), and two US senators.
And that’s not even mentioning an elected state attorney general (who’s sued Trump more times than we can count), plus a ton of nonpartisan elected judges working in places that range from Seattle Municipal Court (where you go to contest traffic tickets) to the fancy Temple of Justice in Olympia (our state supreme court).
So who’s the most powerful among them? That answer shifts all the time, but if you’re asking me right this minute:
