SEATTLE — Jenny Durkan, the former U.S. attorney for Western Washington, on Friday formally announced her candidacy for Seattle mayor.
Durkan joins a growing field vying to replace incumbent Ed Murray, who this week announced he wouldn’t run for re-election following allegations by four men that he sexually abused them as teens. Murray has vehemently denied those claims.
Durkan said she’d work to make Seattle more affordable, try to find solutions for the growing numbers of homeless people on city streets and fight against President Donald Trump’s policies.
The 58-year-old Durkan has long been a fixture in Democratic politics in Washington state.
She was known as a formidable litigator before being picked in the first wave of President Barack Obama’s U.S. attorney appointments. She was on the team that successfully represented the state Democratic Party when Republicans challenged the results of the 2004 gubernatorial election, which Chris Gregoire won after two recounts.