Katie Wilson’s Curriculum Vitae

On the insistence of some Seattle DSA members, Katie Wilson contacted the Electoral Working Group on July 1 to initiate the endorsement process.  Upon discussing the matter, both parties agreed that the endorsement process binding the EWG was not suited to her candidacy, since she was not and could not be a ‘cadre candidate’. The EWG informed her that the only option for endorsement was for a member to put the question before the SDSA membership in the form of a resolution.  And that is what has happened.  It is now up to the membership to decide whether she is worthy of the SDSA endorsement.  Here are some facts about the woman currently being denied the Seattle DSA endorsement.   

  • Born in Kalamazoo, MI, daughter of evolutionary biologists. 1982.
  • Grew up in Binghamton, NY, a declining industrial city with a large state university, attending public schools. 1987-2000.
  • At Binghamton High School, published and distributed an underground zine, The Conformist Times, criticizing the policies of the high school administration. 1998-2000.
  • Co-founded and was active in Binghamton chapter of Food Not Bombs, where she met her future husband. 1998-2000.
  • In the wake of the WTO protests of 1999, marched in the A16 anti-globalization protests against the IMF and World Bank in Washington, D.C. April 2000.
  • Graduated high school, salutatorian. 2000.
  • Attended Oxford University, studying physics and philosophy. 2000-2004.
  • Participated in the occupation of Bodleian Library at Oxford to protest tuition hikes. 2001.
  • Co-led a student delegation to West Papua to record BP natural gas exploitation and promote Papuan independence. 2002.
  • Marched in the largest anti-war demonstration in history in London, protesting the Iraq war. 2003.
  • Married and settled in Seattle after a Greyhound bus ‘honeymoon’ around the USA. 2004.
  • Worked various low-wage jobs to support herself. 2000-2014:
    • Worked in a metal finishing factory.
    • Worked as a stitcher in a lineman supply factory.
    • Worked in a boat yard sanding and bottom-painting yachts—protested wage theft and quit in solidarity with workers who were unjustly fired.
    • Worked as a residential construction worker.
    • Worked as a landscaper.
    • Worked as a barista and baker.
    • Worked as an apartment manager and handywoman.
    • Worked as a legal assistant.
  • Marched for immigrants’ rights in the massive May Day movement of 2006.
  • Co-founded and led the Transit Riders Union, an independent member-driven organization of poor and working people. 2011-present.
  • Organized with TRU a large protest against closure of the ride-free zone in downtown Seattle. 2012.
  • Led TRU’s campaign to win a low-income fare (ORCA LIFT) on King County Metro buses, which has since spread to many transit agencies. 2013-2014.
  • Led TRU in supporting Rainier Beach High School students fighting for free youth transit. 2015.
  • Led TRU’s campaign to increase funding for bus tickets for human service agencies. 2014-2016.
  • Co-led Trump-Proof Seattle, unanimously passing a tax on high-income households through the Seattle City Council as part of a strategy to reverse WA’s ban on progressive income taxes. 2017.
  • Coordinated Housing For All, which went head to head with Amazon over taxing big business. 2017-2018.
  • Coordinated ORCA for All, fighting for mandatory employer-paid transit benefits. 2018-2020.
  • Led on designing, passing, & defending the JumpStart tax on wealthy corporations. 2020-2024.
  • Coordinated Stay Housed Stay Healthy, winning stronger renter protections in 8 cities. 2021-2024.
  • Coordinated Raise the Wage Tukwila, winning the highest minimum wage in the country. 2021-2022.
  • Advised and supported Seattle DSA on the Raise the Wage Renton campaign. 2023-2024.
  • Coordinated the campaign to raise the minimum wage in unincorporated King County. 2023-2024.
  • Coordinated Raise the Wage Burien, was personally sued along with TRU by the City. 2023-2025.
  • Got 50.75% of the vote (almost 100,000 votes!) in the primary election for Mayor of Seattle, in her first foray into electoral politics, running a grassroots campaign with little institutional backing. 2025.