Socialist Kshama Sawant faces recall vote in Seattle

By GENE JOHNSON
Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) — Voters in an extremely liberal Seattle district are deciding whether they want to keep socialist Kshama Sawant on the City Council. Sawant is the longest-tenured council member. She’s credited with having helped Seattle become the first major city with a $15-an-hour minimum wage. A recall vote that ends Tuesday asks whether Sawant should be removed for office for a campaign finance violation, her involvement in a protest march to the home of Mayor Jenny Durkan, and her decision to let a crowd of protesters into City Hall during the pandemic. Sawant says the charges are a pretext for commercial real-estate and big business interests to try to remove her from office.