Cities are going to be last line of defense against a Trump administration, says Teresa Mosqueda.
"Cities are going to be the last line of defense" against a Trump administration, says Teresa Mosqueda. courtesy of mosqueda campaign

Rumors have been swirling for weeks that Teresa Mosqueda, political and strategic campaign director of the Washington State Labor Council, planned to run for an open seat on the Seattle City Council. Today, she officially launched her campaign and is already brandishing support from high profile local Democrats.

Mosqueda, a 36-year-old Latina renter, said in an interview with The Stranger that she would bring a "collaborative style" to policymaking on the council.

"Cities are going to be the last line of defense" against a Trump administration, Mosqueda said. "We as a city need to think proactively about what we need to do to protect our folks."

Along with supporting undocumented people, the city may have to increase services for LGBTQ people and open new women's healthcare clinics in the face of Republican policies at the federal level, Mosqueda said.

Mosqueda has worked on implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Washington and is currently part of a Labor and Industries group working on implementing last year's successful ballot measure to raise the minimum wage and require paid sick time across Washington. She said those experiences have given her the ability to work well with competing interests like labor and business. She has also worked at the state Department of Health and as legislative director of the Children's Alliance, according to a press release announcing her campaign.

The open council seat is being vacated by Tim Burgess, who's retiring. Housing advocate Jon Grant and Seattle-King County NAACP Vice President Sheley Secrest are also running for the seat.

Mosqueda's campaign already has notable endorsements, including newly elected Lieutenant Governor Cyrus Habib and state legislators including Senate Majority Leaders Sharon Nelson and House Speaker Frank Chopp. She has hired local political consultant Christian Sinderman, who also worked with Burgess and Mayor Ed Murray, and she's likely to see significant labor support for her campaign.

Like Grant and Secrest, Mosqueda said she plans to use Seattle's new campaign financing program, in which candidates who gather enough initial small cash donations can collect publicly-funded Democracy Vouchers.