Kshama Sawant, the socialist who served a decade on the Seattle City Council, launched a “working-class, antiwar, anti-genocide” campaign Monday, June 2 to unseat incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Adam Smith in the 2026 election.

At her campaign kick-off in Seattle, Sawant called for a $25 an hour minimum wage, universal health care and a halt in U.S. military aid to Israel for its ongoing offensive against Hamas. Sawant did not seek re-election in 2023 as she established Workers Strike Back, an activist group focused on pro-labor causes and other issues.

The two will duel to represent the 9th Congressional District, which encompasses parts of Seattle and Bellevue as well as the south King County communities of Renton, Tukwila, Kent, Des Moines and Federal Way.

The Seattle resident vowed,

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