Dionne Foster
Dionne Foster | |
|---|---|
Foster in 2025 | |
| Member of the Seattle City Council for Position 9 | |
| Assumed office January 2, 2026 | |
| Preceded by | Sara Nelson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1988 or 1989 (age 36–37) |
| Education | George Mason University (BA) University of Washington (MSW) |
| Website | Campaign website |
Dionne Foster is an American politician who is the councilmember for Seattle City Council Position 9. She was elected in 2025, defeating City Council President Sara Nelson.[1]
Early life and career
Foster was born in Germany and raised in Virginia by her mother, who was a member of the United States Army and later worked as a teacher.[2][3] Foster attended George Mason University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and women's studies.[4][5] While at George Mason, she received the Spirit King Award for a commitment to civil rights and the Dennis-Weathers Award for a dedication to increasing cross-cultural awareness.[3][6] Foster moved to Seattle in 2011, earning a Master's degree from the University of Washington School of Social Work and would later become an adjunct faculty member.[3]
After college, Foster worked at Puget Sound Sage, a social work nonprofit.[2][7] From 2016 to 2018, she worked for Seattle Public Utilities, a government agency for the city, as a policy advisor tasked with boosting enrollment for the city's utilities discount program.[2][7] From 2018 to 2020, Foster managed grants as a program officer for the Seattle Foundation, a non-profit community foundation.[2][7] Before running for office, Foster worked as executive director of the Washington Progress Alliance, a progressive advocacy organization, where she spearheaded advocacy for Washington state's capital gains tax.[2][8]
Seattle City Council
2025 campaign
In March 2025, Foster announced her candidacy for Seattle City Council, challenging City Council President Sara Nelson.[9] She ran against two other challengers in the primary, former federal economist Connor Nash and longshoreman Mia Jacobson.[8][10] In the August primary, Foster came in first, with 58.4% of the vote, and advanced to the general election with Nelson, who came in a distant second with 35.3%.[11]
Foster campaigned as a progressive, advocating for rebuilding the Seattle Police Department, greater investments in affordable housing, and rent stabilization.[12] She also campaigned on denser housing and a greater focus on climate change in the city council.[13] Nelson focused her campaign on addressing substance abuse and public safety, while defending her support for the Stay Out of Drug Areas (SODA) zones, Stay Out of Areas of Prostitution (SOAP) zones, and expanded surveillance cameras.[14] Foster criticized the SODA and SOAP zones, calling them "banishment zones" without a comprehensive solution, and stated she would have voted against the surveillance cameras, citing the risk of the federal government using the data for deportations.[15]
During the general election, Foster led two polls of the Position 9 race, one commissioned by The Stranger and another by the Northwest Progressive Institute.[16][17] In the November general election, Foster defeated Nelson in a landslide, 62.8% to 37%.[18][19]
Personal life
Foster has one son.[13] She lives in Rainier Beach.[1]
Electoral history
2025 election
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dionne Foster | 110,636 | 58.44% | |
| Sara Nelson (incumbent) | 66,909 | 35.34% | |
| Mia Jacobson | 5,845 | 3.09% | |
| Connor Nash | 5,532 | 2.92% | |
| Write-in | 393 | 0.21% | |
| Total votes | 189,315 | 100.00% | |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dionne Foster | 165,930 | 62.80% | |
| Sara Nelson (incumbent) | 97,710 | 36.98% | |
| Write-in | 579 | 0.22% | |
| Total votes | 264,219 | 100.00% | |
References
- ^ a b Beekman, Daniel (2025-11-04). "Seattle City Council president loses to Dionne Foster". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
- ^ a b c d e Beekman, Daniel (2025-10-08). "Dionne Foster is pushing to unseat Seattle's City Council president". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
- ^ a b c "Dionne Foster For Seattle City Council #9". The Facts Newspaper. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
- ^ "Dionne Foster | King County Elections". www.kingcounty.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
- ^ Hunter, Allie (May 3, 2010). "Dionne Foster: 'Your College Experience Is What You Make of It'". Connect2Mason. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
- ^ "Graduating Student Receives Dennis-Weathers Award". College of Humanities and Social Sciences. George Mason University. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
- ^ a b c Packer, Ryan (March 17, 2025). "Council Candidate Dionne Foster Shares Vision for Denser, More Affordable Seattle". The Urbanist. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
- ^ a b Oron, Guy (July 16, 2025). "2025 Primary Voters Guide: Seattle City Council, Position 9". Real Change News. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
- ^ "Dionne Foster Announces Campaign For Seattle City Council Position 9". The Seattle Medium. 2025-03-05. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
- ^ Cohen, Josh (May 13, 2025). "Who's running against Seattle City Council President Sara Nelson?". Cascade PBS. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ^ Santos, Melissa (August 5, 2025). "Several Seattle incumbents trail in early primary results". Axios Seattle. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ^ Coughlin-Bogue, Tobias. "Dionne Foster is Not Sara Nelson. So, Who Is She?". The Stranger. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
- ^ a b Packer, Ryan (2025-03-17). "Council Candidate Dionne Foster Shares Vision for Denser, More Affordable Seattle". The Urbanist. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
- ^ Denkmann, Libby; Leibovitz, Sarah (October 15, 2025). "Seattle City Council Position 9 candidates debate taxes, surveillance, and 'stay out' zones". KUOW. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ^ Santos, Melissa (September 24, 2025). "Where Seattle council candidates Nelson and Foster disagree most". Axios Seattle. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ^ Winter, Hannah Murphy. "The Polling Is In: Seattle Wants to Elect Progressives This Fall". The Stranger. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
- ^ Villeneuve, Andrew (2025-10-28). "Challenger Dionne Foster has a fifteen point lead over incumbent Sara Nelson for Seattle City Council Position #9". NPI's Cascadia Advocate. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
- ^ "Dionne Foster projected to win race for Seattle City Council Position 9". king5.com. 2025-11-04. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
- ^ Sumrall, Frank (2025-11-05). "Dionne Foster ousts Sara Nelson for Seattle City Council Position 9". MyNorthwest.com. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
- ^ "Results" (PDF). Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ "Results" (PDF). Retrieved November 11, 2025.