Record numbers of Seattle voters disapprove of the performance of City Attorney Ann Davison and Council President Sara Nelson – NPI’s Cascadia Advocate
Our May 2025 Civic Heartbeat survey finds record numbers of likely 2025 Seattle general election voters disapproving of the job performance of each. 38% disapprove of Davison’s job performance, while 25% approve and 37% are not sure; 40% disapprove of Nelson’s job performance, while 19% approve and 41% are not sure.
Davison’s previous worst disapproval number was 32%; Nelson’s was 34%.
Davison’s spread has gone from a net of negative three points in January (32% — 29% = 3%) to negative thirteen points this month, while Nelson’s spread has gone from a net of negative ten points in January (33% — 23% = 10%) to negative twenty-one points this month. More than twice as many voters disapprove of Nelson’s work than approve — an ominous sign for her — and Davison’s stock is also still declining.
Most of the nine-member Council is in even worse shape than Davison and half is rated as poorly as Nelson or worse. Each of the district-based councilmembers has a negative spread in the double digits. Councilmember Rob Saka (1st District — West Seattle, South Park) fares the worst of the group, with a bleak negative spread of twenty-seven points, while Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth (3rd District — Central Seattle) fares the “best” with a negative spread of thirteen points citywide.
