Seattle City Wire

Washington Rep. Kirsten Harris-Talley (D-Ranier Valley) recently endorsed City Council President Lorena Gonzalez in her race for the Seattle mayor's office.

"Having served on City Council alongside Lorena, I know that she has both the head and the heart to move our city forward," Harris-Talley said in her endorsement of Gonzalez on Twitter. "Seattle can be a place where all thrive. We need leaders who listen and act accordingly -- and Lorena is the experienced, visionary and compassionate leader who does just that."

Gonzalez took to Twitter to voice her appreciation for the endorsement.

Rep. Kirsten Harris-Talley | Twitter

"Honored to have the support of my friend and colleague, Rep. Kirsten Harris-Talley, in this race," Gonzalez wrote in a May 24 tweet. "Strong partnerships between city and state government are critical, and I look forward to all we’ll be able to accomplish together!"

Gonzalez announced her run for mayor earlier this year.

"Our city is at a critical crossroads, and now is the time to dream big and work hard," Gonzalez wrote in a March 29 tweet. "I’m running for mayor because I believe in Seattle and its promise of progressive values, innovation and diverse, vibrant communities."

Serving since 2015, Gonzalez is the first Latinx person to be elected to serve on the Seattle City Council, according to Gonzalez's profile on the Seattle City Council website.

Gonzalez is the first-generation American daughter of migrant farm workers. A former civil rights attorney and community advocate, she has fought for the fair treatment of women, the elderly, working families and minority communities.

In 2017, Harris-Talley was nominated to fill an interim vacancy on the Seattle City Council, where she helped with community housing and policing initiatives, according to Harris-Talley's website. During her 51 days of service on the Council, she secured hundreds of thousands of dollars to be used to provide housing for the homeless and helped blocked a proposed "police bunker" to be built in North Seattle.