53% of Seattle Democrats want Socialist Mayor Katie Wilson to resign: Change Washington poll

A new Change Washington poll conducted August 13-17 found only 22 percent of Seattle registered voters approve of Wilson's job performance, while 66 percent disapprove and 12 percent are unsure.

Even more damaging for the progressive mayor, 60 percent said Wilson should resign or be removed from office, compared with 30 percent who said she should remain and 10 percent who were unsure.

Those findings are reinforced by a separate poll conducted by Fulcrum Strategy Group for the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce days earlier. That survey of 500 registered Seattle voters, conducted August 10-13, found Wilson's favorability had fallen to 37 percent, down from 57 percent in April, a 20-point collapse in four months. Sixty-two percent now view Wilson unfavorably, including 42 percent who view her strongly unfavorably.

The two surveys measure somewhat different things: Change Washington asked voters about Wilson's job performance, while Fulcrum measured favorability, but both show substantial dissatisfaction with the mayor.

Perhaps most troubling for Wilson is that the erosion extends deeply into Seattle's overwhelmingly Democratic electorate.

The Change Washington poll found 60 percent of Democrats disapprove of Wilson's job performance and only 28 percent approve. Among independents, 79 percent disapprove and just 8 percent approve.

A majority of Democrats, 53 percent, also told Change Washington that Wilson should resign or be removed, while only 37 percent said she should remain. Among independents, 76 percent want her to resign or be removed.

Fulcrum independently found significant deterioration among Wilson's political base. Her favorability among self-described progressives dropped 17 percentage points, while her standing among liberal Democrats fell 22 points.

Among more traditional Democrats, Wilson is now viewed favorably by just 37 percent and unfavorably by 62 percent, according to reporting on the Fulcrum results.

The Fulcrum poll also provides clues about what is driving Wilson's declining numbers. Voters gave Wilson's administration a D for its response to the Bite of Seattle mass shooting and handling of illegal drug use, while giving it a D+ on encampments, street disorder, overall safety and government transparency.

Fulcrum founding partner Andrew Thibault said the results underscored the importance of crime and safety to voters. “Really what isn't surprising is that public safety is the issue because public safety is the core issue,” Thibault told FOX 13. “It is the fundamental issue that mayors have to get right.”

A related Fulcrum survey found two-thirds of Seattle voters lacked confidence that Wilson has an effective plan to improve public safety. It also found 75 percent support Seattle's CCTV public-safety camera program, 74 percent support expanding cameras to major gathering locations such as Seattle Center, and 71 percent support putting cameras in areas plagued by open-air drug markets or high levels of street disorder.

Those findings come following the botched response to the deadly Bite of Seattle mass shooting, controversy surrounding Wilson's ouster of former Police Chief Shon Barnes, and her decision to turn off and halt expansion of Seattle's CCTV surveillance program.

Wilson dismissed the significance of polling Thursday, telling reporters, “Anyone can do a poll, so people can look at the poll and interpret what they want. But my priority right now is delivering for the people of Seattle.”

The numbers arrive as Wilson faces an active recall effort. A King County Superior Court hearing on the recall petition is scheduled for August 31 to determine whether the charges are legally sufficient to proceed.