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Andrew J. Lewis (politician)

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Not to be confused with Andrew Lewis (Pennsylvania politician).

Andrew J. Lewis
Member of the Seattle City Council
from District 7
In office
January 6, 2020 (2020-01-06) – January 2, 2024
Preceded bySally Bagshaw
Succeeded byBob Kettle
Personal details
Born (1989-11-11) November 11, 1989 (age 34)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Washington (BA)
London School of Economics (MA)
University of California, Berkeley (JD)
ProfessionAttorney

Andrew Joseph Lewis (born November 11, 1989) is an American politician and attorney who served as a member of the Seattle City Council from District 7. He was an assistant city attorney before his election to city council and worked on political campaigns.

Early life and career

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Lewis was raised in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood to a family of local political organizers; his father worked for Seattle City Light and his mother was a nurse at Harborview Medical Center.[1] His activities in politics began in high school by attending marches and volunteering for political campaigns, including stints on the Seattle Youth Council and the board of the Young Democrats of Washington.[2]

Lewis attended the University of Washington, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in history and political science, was named a Harry S. Truman Scholar, and interned with the Seattle City Council. Lewis was the government relations director for the Associated Students of the University of Washington from 2011 to 2012. He was the campaign director for Nick Licata in his successful 2009 reelection campaign.[3] Lewis earned a Master of Arts degree from the London School of Economics and Juris Doctor from the UC Berkeley School of Law. He also served as a teaching assistant for former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, who later endorsed him.[1][3]

Upon his return to Seattle, Lewis was appointed to serve on the Seattle Human Rights Commission and the Rental Housing Inspection Stakeholder Committee.[1][4] He also worked as a deputy prosecutor for the King County Juvenile Division until he left to work as an assistant city attorney for Seattle.[3]

Seattle City Council

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2019 election

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Lewis announced his campaign for the District 7 council seat in November 2018, shortly after incumbent Sally Bagshaw announced she would not run.[5]

He campaigned to expand housing affordability in the city and received support from progressive groups and local labor unions.[3] On public safety, he proposed creating a drug court for the city of Seattle and a "high-frequency offender unit" in the City Attorney's office.[6] Lewis wanted to get the Seattle Police Department out of its Consent decree, to implement long-term changes such as increasing staff.[7]

Lewis finished first among the field in the primary election, with 32 percent of the vote, and advanced to the general election alongside former Seattle Police Department chief Jim Pugel.[3] His campaign received financial support from a local hotel workers union's political action committee, while Pugel received support from Amazon and the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.[8][9]

Lewis won in the general election with 53 percent of the vote after initial returns showed him narrowly trailing Pugel.[10][11] He became the youngest city councilmember in Seattle history, entering office at the age of 29.[12]

Tenure (2020–2024)

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Lewis was sworn in on December 31, 2019, at the community P-Patch atop the Mercer Garage at the Seattle Center, which he announced would not close.[13][14] He took office in January 2020 and was named to a regional homelessness governing board alongside at-large councilmember Lorena González.[15]

Lewis did not support Seattle head tax ordinance.[12] In July 2020, Lewis stated he was open to cuts to the Seattle Police Department budget,[16][better source needed] and by August, he voted to reduce funding to the Seattle Police Department by $3 million.[17]

2023 election

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In January 2023, Lewis announced that he would seek reelection in the upcoming city council elections.[18] He was one of only three councilmembers who chose to run for reelection.[citation needed] Lewis won the August primary election with 43 percent of the vote, leading a field with five challengers; former U.S. Navy officer Bob Kettle placed second with 32% of the vote and advanced to the general election alongside Lewis.[19]

In the general election, Kettle stated that Lewis's support, and later votes, to defund SPD were wrong and "sapped the morale" of police officers.[20] Lewis said those votes were a mistake, but still supported non-armed 911 response options.[20] Lewis lost the general election to Kettle by a two-point margin.[21] Lewis would be the only incumbent to lose reelection that year.[22]

Personal life

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Lewis is a resident of the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood in Seattle.[5] In an interview with The Seattle Times, he described himself as "not a socialist" and identified as a labor Democrat.[23]

After losing reelection, Lewis would work for a private legal firm.[24]

Electoral history

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Seattle City Council District 7, 2019 primary election[25]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Andrew J. Lewis 8,409 31.71%
Nonpartisan Jim Pugel 6,566 24.76%
Nonpartisan Daniela Lipscomb-Eng 2,591 9.77%
Nonpartisan Michael George 2,460 9.28%
Nonpartisan Gene Burrus 1,501 5.66%
Nonpartisan Jason Williams 1,347 5.08%
Nonpartisan Don Harper 1,265 4.77%
Nonpartisan James Donaldson 824 3.11%
Nonpartisan Naveed Jamali 788 2.97%
Nonpartisan Isabelle J. Kerner 691 2.61 %
Nonpartisan Write-in 30 0.3%
Turnout 27,556 38.51%
Registered electors 71,550
Seattle City Council District 7, 2019 general election[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Andrew J. Lewis 18,336 52.98%
Nonpartisan Jim Pugel 16,122 46.58%
Nonpartisan Write-in 152 0.44%
Turnout 36,522 50.36%
Registered electors 72,517

2023 Elections

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Seattle City Council District 7, 2023 primary election[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Andrew J. Lewis 8,114 43.45%
Nonpartisan Bob Kettle 5,888 31.53%
Nonpartisan Olga Sagan 2,429 13.01%
Nonpartisan Aaron Marshall 1,372 7.35%
Nonpartisan Isabelle Kerner 502 2.69%
Nonpartisan Wade Sowders 323 1.73%
Nonpartisan Write-in 46 0.25%
Turnout 19,039 32.58%
Registered electors 58,437
Seattle City Council District 7, 2023 general election[26]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Andrew J. Lewis 11,512 48.91%
Nonpartisan Bob Kettle 11,951 50.78%
Nonpartisan Write-in 74 0.31%
Turnout 24,178 41.06%
Registered electors 58,884

References

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  1. ^ a b c "About Councilmember Andrew J. Lewis". City of Seattle. January 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  2. ^ Sturdivant, Peggy (August 13, 2007). "Far from disingenuous". Ballard News-Tribune. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e Beekman, Daniel (October 21, 2019). "Police leader Jim Pugel and political 'natural' Andrew Lewis clash in Seattle City Council District 7 race". The Seattle Times. p. A8. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  4. ^ Brunner, Jim (March 17, 2009). "Group seeks district system for some City Council seats". The Seattle Times. p. B10.
  5. ^ a b Daniels, Chris (November 30, 2018). "4 new candidates file to run for Seattle City Council". KING 5 News. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  6. ^ Radill, Amy (October 2, 2019). "Walk-in opioid treatment is about to be even more robust in downtown Seattle". KUOW. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  7. ^ Archibald, Ashley (September 4, 2019). "Vying for Votes: Interview with City Council District 7 candidate Andrew Lewis". Real Change. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  8. ^ Kroman, David (October 14, 2019). "A hotel workers' union is spending big on one candidate for Seattle City Council. Why him?". Crosscut.com. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  9. ^ Beekman, Daniel (September 27, 2019). "What's the difference between Jim Pugel and Andrew Lewis? A few details emerge at District 7 Seattle City Council debate". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  10. ^ Macz, Brandon; Warn, Daniel (November 10, 2019). "Andrew Lewis triumphs in long election". Queen Anne & Magnolia News. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  11. ^ a b c "November 05, 2019 Official Final Election Results" (PDF). King County Elections. November 25, 2019. p. 34. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  12. ^ a b Graham, Natalie (November 20, 2019). "Andrew Lewis Is the Youngest Seattle City Council Member in History". The Stranger. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  13. ^ Brunner, Jim (December 31, 2019). "Seattle to let P-Patch remain atop Mercer Street Garage, won't replace it with parking spots". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  14. ^ "Councilmember-elect Andrew J. Lewis sworn in at UpGarden". Seattle Channel. December 31, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  15. ^ Graham, Natalie (January 7, 2020). "New Seattle City Council Sworn in with Calls for New Progressive Taxes". The Stranger. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  16. ^ Quinn, Patrick (July 14, 2020). "Seattle Councilman Andrew Lewis: City should consider SPD defunding plan". KOMO News. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  17. ^ "Seattle City Council approves complex package to cut police budget". KING 5 News. August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  18. ^ Dallas, Julia (January 17, 2023). "Seattle Councilmember Andrew Lewis will run for re-election". KIRO News. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  19. ^ "August 2023 Primary Election Results" (PDF). King County Elections. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Santos, Melissa (October 19, 2023). "Seattle District 7 council candidates spar over public safety". Axios. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  21. ^ "November 2023 General Election" (PDF). King County Elections. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  22. ^ Santos, Melissa (November 17, 2023). "Two-thirds of the Seattle City Council will be new in 2024". Axios Seattle. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  23. ^ Westneat, Danny (November 13, 2019). "'I am not a socialist': One candidate's attempt to make sense of the polarizing Seattle elections". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  24. ^ "Andrew Leis, Associate". Van Nelson Feldman LLP. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  25. ^ "August 2019 Primary Election" (PDF). King County Elections. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  26. ^ "November 2023 General Election" (PDF). King County Elections. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
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