By Rich Smith
(THE STRNGER) In his bid to represent South King County on the council for a third term, Dave Upthegrove essentially accused organizations that endorsed his opponent, Dr. Shukri Olow, of reverse racism and also threatened to withhold his support for them should voters reelect him in November, according to members of those organizations.
Olow, a community organizer and King County employee who recently picked up a doctorate in education, entered the race back in January and has been running slightly to his left. Her campaign has raised nearly $160,000 (compared to Upthegrove’s ~$192,000) and has scooped up sole endorsements from groups such as OneAmerica Votes, Sage Leaders, a couple local Service Employees International Unions, The Urbanist, the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, the Transit Riders Union, and others.
Since the District 5 race only featured two candidates, it went straight to the general election without a primary. But all along the way, organizations that represent immigrants and/or many people of color said he accused them of not endorsing him just because he’s a white guy. He also told one elected official not to endorse his challenger because “he didn’t think it was fair to give them any hope.”
