Former Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant is urging voters in Washington’s 9th Congressional District to support her independent socialist campaign in the Aug. 4 primary, as she seeks to unseat longtime Democratic Rep. Adam Smith.
Sawant, who served on the Seattle City Council for more than a decade, launched her congressional bid in 2025 and has positioned her campaign as a challenge to what she describes as the political establishment and corporate influence in Washington.
In a recent social media post, Sawant called on voters in the district to cast their ballots for her campaign, saying her platform includes taxing hedge fund billionaires to fund a major expansion of publicly owned affordable housing.
She also called for a total arms embargo on Israel, national rent control and free healthcare for all, funded through higher taxes on wealthy Americans.
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“I’m running as an independent socialist against billionaire-backed Zionist Democrat Adam Smith. If you’re in Washington state’s ninth Congressional District, make sure to vote for my campaign in this primary election. Ballots have been mailed. VOTE BY AUGUST 4TH!” Sawant said.
Her campaign has made opposition to U.S. military aid to Israel a central part of its platform. Sawant has also campaigned on affordable housing, universal healthcare and measures aimed at addressing the rising cost of living.
The race has also prompted Sawant to criticize media coverage of Smith, who has represented the district in Congress since 1997.
In another social media post, Sawant criticized a recent interview with Smith, arguing that the program should also have featured her as an alternative to the incumbent.
“You still have a chance to feature our independent socialist anti-genocide campaign on your program,” Sawant wrote, urging the program to give her campaign a platform.
Sawant described Smith as a politician with a long record of supporting military spending and accused him of maintaining close ties with pro-Israel lobbying groups. She also criticized his support for recent legislation involving military spending and U.S.-Israel defense cooperation.
The claims are part of Sawant’s broader effort to frame the congressional contest as a choice between an established Democratic incumbent and an independent socialist campaign focused on antiwar and working-class issues.
Sawant also pointed to her record in Seattle, where she won four elections to the City Council and became nationally known for her role in the campaign for a $15 minimum wage in the city. Her supporters have highlighted those victories as evidence of her ability to organize around progressive economic policies.
Her campaign says it has raised more than $690,000, which Sawant described as evidence that she is mounting the strongest challenge to Smith in his nearly three decades in Congress.
According to Washington’s primary election rules, all candidates compete on the same ballot, with the two candidates receiving the most votes advancing to the general election.
The 2026 primary ballot lists Sawant as an independent candidate, alongside Smith and other candidates including Democrat Melissa Chaudhry, Republican Doug Basler and Socialist Workers Party candidate Jacob Perasso.
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Sawant’s campaign is seeking to build on the political profile she established in Seattle while expanding her agenda to the national stage.
With the Aug. 4 primary approaching, her campaign is emphasizing opposition to military aid to Israel, affordable housing, rent control and universal healthcare as it seeks to challenge Smith and gain a place in the November general election.