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Kshama Sawant
Indian-American politician, economist, and former Seattle city councilmember / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kshama Sawant (/kʃʌmɑː sɑːˈwʌnt/; born October 17, 1973)[1][2] is an Indian-American politician and economist who served on the Seattle City Council from 2014 to 2024. Until May 2024 she was a member of Socialist Alternative, the first and only member of the party to date to be elected to public office.
Kshama Sawant | |
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Member of the Seattle City Council | |
In office January 1, 2014 – January 2, 2024 | |
Preceded by | Richard Conlin |
Succeeded by | Joy Hollingsworth |
Constituency | Position 2 (2014–2016) 3rd district (2016–2024) |
Personal details | |
Born | (1973-10-17) October 17, 1973 (age 50) Pune, India |
Political party | Socialist Alternative (2008—2024) |
Other political affiliations | Democratic Socialists of America (since 2021) |
Spouses | Vivek Sawant (before 2016)Calvin Priest (m. 2016) |
Education | University of Mumbai (BS) North Carolina State University (MA, PhD) |
Signature | ![]() |
Website | Government website |
A former software engineer, Sawant became an economics instructor in Seattle after immigrating to the United States from her native India.[3] She ran unsuccessfully for the Washington House of Representatives in 2012 before winning her seat on the Seattle City Council in 2013. She was the first socialist to win a citywide election in Seattle since Anna Louise Strong was elected to the school board in 1916.[4][5] Sawant narrowly survived a December 7, 2021 recall election for her position on the council by a margin of 310 votes, or 0.76%. It was the first held in Seattle since 1975.
In January 2023, Sawant announced that she would not seek re-election, and would instead promote the Socialist Alternative campaign Workers Strike Back to unionize workers.[6]