The 2025 election season kicked off on Friday, May 9, with 10 candidates filing to run for four open positions on the Tukwila City Council.

Of note, incumbent Verna Seal is running for reelection to Position 1, Tosh Sharp (currently incumbent in Position 1) is running for Position 3, and former councilmember Kate Kruller is running for Position 5 after losing to Thomas McLeod in the 2023 Mayoral race.

The Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 5, with the top two vote-getters moving on to the General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

NOTE: Links for each candidate are to their profiles on the King County Elections website.

*denotes incumbent

 

City of Tukwila, Council Position No. 1

  • Verna Seal*: Was appointed in 2025 to fill a vacancy and is now running for Position 1, bringing extensive civic experience to the role.
  • Tosh Sharp Withdrawn so he can run for Position 3.
  • Peggy McCarthy: Longtime Tukwila resident with a background in education publishing.

City of Tukwila, Council Position No. 3

  • Hannah Hedrick*: Appointed to the council in January 2024, Hannah Hedrick is a project manager focused on growth and community engagement, currently serving in Position 3.
  • Tosh Sharp*: Incumbent in Position 1, has filed to run for Position 3 in the upcoming election.

City of Tukwila, Council Position No. 5

  • Kate Kruller: A Tukwila resident for over 30 years, has served on the City Council and is seeking election to Position 5, emphasizing her long-term commitment to the community.
  • Ziggy Samra: There is currently limited publicly available information regarding his professional background or campaign platform.

City of Tukwila, Council Position No. 7

  • Gina Bernhardt Nielsen: A previous applicant for a council vacancy, a Tukwila resident with experience in community service.
  • Jane Ho: Has been involved in local civic activities, including serving on the city’s Planning Commission, and has previously applied for council vacancies
  • Max McCallum: There is currently limited publicly available information regarding his professional background or campaign platform.
  • Krysteena Mann: Has actively been involved in local advocacy, particularly focusing on renter protections and minimum wage initiatives.

As part of our ongoing political coverage, The Tukwila Blog will be reaching out to each candidate to ask how they plan to govern, what their top priorities are, and how they intend to address the city’s most pressing challenges. Candidate responses will be published in the coming weeks to help inform voters ahead of the Aug. 5 2025 Primary Election.

For more information on the candidates and their platforms, residents are encouraged to visit the official King County Elections website here.