Port of Seattle Commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa launches campaign for King County Council's 2nd District
Port of Seattle Commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa announced last week that she is running for the King County Council 2nd District seat recently vacated by Girmay Zahilay, who was elected King County Executive in November.
Her entry sets the stage for one of the most closely watched local races of the year, with affordability, displacement, and public safety emerging as central issues.
The 2nd District spans a broad and politically diverse swath of the county, including the University District, Laurelhurst, Ravenna, Eastlake, Capitol Hill, the Central District, South Seattle, Skyway, and Tukwila’s Allentown neighborhood. A renter-heavy district, it is at the forefront of the region’s affordability crisis with rising housing costs, child care expenses, and displacement reshaping communities across the area.
Hasegawa joins former state legislator Rebecca Saldaña in the race, giving voters a choice between two well-known progressives with distinct governing experience. While both candidates share deeply held progressive values, they have different lived experience. The contest may center on who is best positioned to get results in a time of rising needs and constrained resources.
https://www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2026/01/port-of-seattle-commissioner-toshiko-hasegawa-launches-campaign-for-king-county-councils-2nd-district.html