The Emerald City is a well-known location for West Coast vacations, and many people are moving there as well! Seattle has many wonderful things to offer, and being educated about a city’s political views can help you be aware of the area before relocating to the city or even before booking flight plans for your time off.
Seattle, Washington is not a conservative city. The Seattle area and community are highly liberal in their voting statistics and tendencies, financial contributions to party campaigns, pro-abortion views, strict gun laws, elected officials, and climate change plans. Seattle is extremely liberal.
There is a wide variety of topics that show liberalism within Seattle. A few of the best examples are explained below to help understand that Seattle is far from conservative in its political views.
Voting Statistics
Consequently, the large Democratic majority
in Seattle, Washington shows a community that values liberalism highly.
King County has voted for the Democratic party candidate in every election since 2000. Seattle is known for its long history of strong Democratic majority and liberal views. In the most recent Presidential election of 2020, 75% of voters in Seattle voted Democratic. Only 22.2% voted for the Republican party candidate, and the remaining voters, 2.8%, voted Independent. A strong 3/4ths majority of participating Seattle voters chose Democratic and liberal views over their Republican and conservative opponents.
According to a recent survey done in Seattle, King county has 55% of adults who claim to be Democratic or Democrat-leaning, Keep in mind that this is a general political self-assessment and not simply for the purpose of voting for a specific candidate who happens to belong to the party. Clearly, the Seattle area is not a conservative city. The Democratic party takes the lead in every statistic and survey, with a higher than 50% majority in both of the testing methods.
Climate Change
Supporting efforts to reduce gas emissions and other harmful contributors to climate change have been a long-standing goal for the city of Seattle, Washington. In 2013, the Seattle Climate Action Plan was first released. The purpose of this plan was to help the city community focus on any changes that could be made to limit greenhouse gases being emitted anywhere within Seattle. The plan consists of a series of long-term and short-term goals that will help the city become more eco-friendly in the coming years.
Mayor Jenny A Durkan collaborated with other city officials and representatives to revise this plan for the future. These revisions were released as Seattle Climate Strategy in April of 2018. These revisions helped to center focus on the reduction of carbon pollution in the city’s residential areas and public transportation systems. This new release would also secure Seattle as a national leader in the fight against climate change.
The city of Seattle is constantly adjusting and revising its plans, efforts, and goals to help them be achieved and improved in every stage of the city’s growth. Increased and consistent efforts to combat climate change are a sure sign of liberal cities and communities. Liberal views value eco-friendly systems highly.
Abortion Views
In June of 2022, the US Supreme Court announced that the Roe v. Wade case of 1973 is now overturned. This means that the legal right to an abortion is not considered to be included or protected within the United States Constitution. The overturning of this case means that each state will be able to legalize or ban the practice of abortions as they please. Now, states that are conservative and states that are liberal can decide for themselves what to practice based on the voice of their people.
Being a Democratic and liberal state, Washington moves to continue the practice of abortions within state boundaries. According to Washington Initiative 120, abortion procedures are legal until the day of fetus viability. This means that Washington legally protects the right to receive or perform an abortion until about 24 weeks into the pregnancy when the child is physically able to survive outside of its mother’s womb.
Upon hearing the announcement, hundreds of Seattle residents gathered in parks, streets, and federal buildings to protest this revoked right to abortions for Americans. Rallies were held in Westlake Park, the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building, and Yesler Terrace Park on June 24th and 25th.
Not only were Seattle residents affected, but Washington’s government officials were also deeply upset by the announcement as well. For other more conservative people, this was great to hear, and depending on your view you may decide you like Seattle’s views or you might disagree. And, if you are ever going to move to Seattle, that view is important to know about.
Some people cannot live in cities with very different viewpoints from them, and others don’t mind it. So you decide if you agree or disagree with their views, and then use that information to help inform your future moving plans.
“Washington state remains steadfast in our commitment to protecting the ability and right of every patient who comes to our state in need of abortion care, and we will fight like hell to restore that right to patients all across the country.”
Governor Jay Inslee, State of Washington
Organizations like the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and Planned Parenthood Seattle organized groups for protests outside of federal facilities. Participants wore green, the designated color of pro-abortion rights, and carried posters and signs that support their cause. This extremity in reaction from city residents and their elected officials shows the city’s strong liberalism in terms of abortion views and rights.
Financial Contributions to Political Party Campaigns
Residents of Seattle show political views in their financial contributions made to political campaigns in the area. The city shows a higher rate of financial support to the Democratic party and liberal campaigns than to opposing conservative views or their supporters.
From 2018 to 2021, there have been a total of 11,703 financial contributions made to the Republican and conservative campaigns in the area. These contributions add to a total of $5,825,506 gained and an average of $489 per contribution.
In the same four-year time span, there were 256,296 contributions made to Democratic party and liberal campaigns in Seattle, giving the campaigns a combined total of $48,761,825. The average amount received per contribution for these campaigns was $190.
The Democratic party and liberal campaigns received 244,593 more contributions and approximately $42,936,319 more in monetary value than the Republican party and conservative efforts in Seattle during the same time period. Seattle citizens are more liberal than conservative, and this is apparent through the financial contributions given to political parties over the last four years in the city.
LGBTQ+ Community
When looking to move or learn about a new area it’s important to understand the culture and the community in that area. Is there a place or a group of people with whom you can go and find friends in? Is there a place of support for you to help with things you are experiencing and going through? Well, there is a well-supported LGBTQ+ community in Seattle if that is something you are looking for.
There are many rights for this community and many places where you can go to make friends, feel included, learn more, and teach others. You also have access to specialized care, which is great for those who need a place that supports their individual worth and health.
The Seattle area provides a large amount of support to the LGBTQ+ community members and their loved ones. There are groups, organizations, specific healthcare, and activities in Seattle specifically designed for these individuals.
Some of the Local LGBTQ+ Groups and Organizations in Seattle are:
- Gay City Health Project
- Ingersoll Gender Care
- Lambert House
- Entre Hermanos
- Emerald City Black Pride
- PFLAG Seattle (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays)
These are some of the many different groups that work to help LGBTQ+ individuals receive support, love, and care. Seattle also has its own official website for this purpose! It is at https://www.seattlepride.org/ and shows an incredible number of clubs, groups, events, and other fun activities and opportunities for this part of the Seattle community to connect and support one another. Seattle represents the liberal goal to support and help LGBTQ+ people in building and trusting ways.
If you are a part of this community then you will definitely feel supported and loved when you move here. If you are not a part of this community, know that Seattle likes to take care of all of its citizens, and the support and love they show this community only shows the amount of love and support that every resident in the city gets.
There are many places in Seattle to get the care you need, and whether that is physical care, mental care, or overall support in any aspect of your life, you will find resources here. Mental health is promoted now more than ever, and anyone in any community can receive the help they need in that area, which is a huge plus for Seattle.
