Seattle council challenger calls out incumbent over endorsement error

The race to represent downtown Seattle and nearby neighborhoods heated up Tuesday when challenger Olga Sagan accused incumbent Andrew Lewis of falsely claiming an endorsement from civic leader Jon Scholes.

In the official voters' pamphlet, produced by King County and mailed to all voters, Lewis lists endorsements, including one from Scholes, president and CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association. Through a spokesperson, Scholes said he never endorsed Lewis.

In an email to the Business Journal, Lewis said he listed Scholes as an endorser after "an incredibly positive statement he provided for me when my campaign launched." He noted that in the subsequent months, media outlets, including the Business Journal, named Scholes as an endorser.

"At no time over the four months he was listed did he ever state he did not endorse me. When he did indicate he wanted his name removed, we expediently complied with the request," Lewis said, adding that, "regrettably," the deadline for King County Elections had passed to change his statement in the voters' pamphlet published ahead of the Aug. 1 primary election.

https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2023/07/12/seattle-council-endorsement.html