Andrew J. Lewis (politician)

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

Not to be confused with Andrew Lewis (Pennsylvania politician).
Andrew J. Lewis
Member of the Seattle City Council
from District 7
Assumed office
January 6, 2020 (2020-01-06)
Preceded bySally Bagshaw
Personal details
Born (1989-11-11) November 11, 1989
Seattle, Washington
Alma materUniversity of Washington (BA)
London School of Economics (MA)
University of California, Berkeley (JD)
ProfessionAttorney

Early life and education

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 Washington State Young Democrats.[2]

Lewis attended the University of Washington, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in history and political science, and interned with the Seattle City Council. 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]

Career

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]

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 on expanding housing affordability in the city and received support from progressive groups and local labor unions.[3] 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.[6][7]

Lewis won in the general election with 53 percent of the vote after initial returns showed him narrowly trailing Pugel.[8][9] He became the youngest city councilmember in Seattle history, entering office at the age of 29.[10] 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.[11][12] He took office in January 2020 and is set to serve on a regional homelessness governing board alongside at-large councilmember Lorena González.[13]

A political progressive, Lewis has been characterized as more moderate that his city council colleagues. Lewis has referred to himself as a "labor Democrat", and did not support Seattle head tax ordinance.[14][15]

Personal life

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.[16]

Electoral history

2019 election
Seattle City Council District 7, General Election 2019[9]
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
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References
  1. "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. 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. Daniels, Chris (November 30, 2018). "4 new candidates file to run for Seattle City Council". KING 5 News. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. Macz, Brandon; Warn, Daniel (November 10, 2019). "Andrew Lewis triumphs in long election". Queen Anne and Magnolia News. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  9. "November 05, 2019 Official Final Election Results" (PDF). King County Elections. November 25, 2019. p. 34. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  10. Graham, Natalie (November 20, 2019). "Andrew Lewis Is the Youngest Seattle City Council Member in History". The Stranger. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  11. 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.
  12. "Councilmember-elect Andrew J. Lewis sworn in at UpGarden". Seattle Channel. December 31, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  13. Graham, Natalie (January 7, 2020). "New Seattle City Council Sworn in with Calls for New Progressive Taxes". The Stranger. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  14. Graham, Nathalie. "Andrew Lewis Is the Youngest Seattle City Council Member in History". The Stranger. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  15. "Andrew J. Lewis (listed in Progressive Voters Guide)". progressivevotersguide.com. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  16. 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.
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