SEATTLE, WA – Kshama Sawant, a self-proclaimed socialist and former member of the Seattle City Council, announced on Monday that she is running for Congress.
She has filed to run for Washington state’s 9th Congressional District, challenging long-time incumbent U.S. Rep. Adam Smith in the 2026 midterm election. Smith, a Democrat, has held that seat since 1997.
According to a Federal Election Commission document, Sawant is running as an independent.
Sawant served on the Seattle City Council from 2014 through 2024. During her tenure, the outspoken Sawant gained national attention for her advocacy of progressive policies, most notably a $15-an-hour minimum wage, capping rent increases and taxing large corporations like Amazon to fund social service programs.
In 2021, Sawant narrowly survived a recall election by 310 votes.
The recall levied three specific charges against Sawant, including violating COVID-19 protocols by admitting protesters into city hall during a June 2020 demonstration, misusing council resources to promote her “Tax Amazon” initiative, and using her position on the city council to lead protesters to then-Mayor Jenny Durkan’s home.
In deciding not to run again for her seat on the Seattle City Council in 2023, Sawant said her goal was to lead a national Workers Strike Back movement.
Sawant’s campaign website, “Kshama Sawant for U.S. Congress,” doesn’t shy away from taking on controversial issues, featuring the headlines “End the genocide in Gaza: No military aid, no occupation!” and “Free healthcare for all: Tax the rich!” and “We need Rent Control: Make corporate landlords pay!”
In the “Why I’m Running” section of the website, Sawant excoriates both major parties.
“Most of the time, working people have no political representation under capitalism,” her essay reads. “Both the Democrats and Republicans serve the interests of the billionaires, and both are warmongering parties down to their bones.”
Sawant does not spare her opponent either, saying Smith “has blood all over his hands” regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza and has “never met a war that he didn’t like.”
