Seattle is so far gone down the Marxist rat hole it may be beyond saving for decades. Seattle radio host Jason Rantz chronicles the city’s decline as evidenced by a recent recall election.

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Rantz: Socialist Seattle City Councilwoman Kshama Sawant survived a recall attempt—barely.

And her victory may stall any momentum after the off-year election which finally brought the defeat of fringe socialist candidates. By a margin of fewer than 350 votes, Sawant survived the first-ever recall attempt of a Seattle city council member.

The recall campaign was bruising. Both the recall supporters and Sawant defenders spent roughly one million dollars each. The Kshama Solidarity Campaign set up pop-up tents around the district to convince voters to print, sign, and submit their ballots against the recall. This tactic, along with ballot harvesting, is legal in Washington state. Some Kshama supporters were accused of bullying and intimidation against those who openly supported the recall.

Sawant faced many charges, which included using city resources to support a “Tax Amazon” ballot initiative, and leading a Black Lives Matter and Antifa march to Mayor Jenny Durkan’s home. The mayor’s address is supposed to remain private due to threats she received as a former U.S. Attorney.

To rally the troops, Sawant baselessly claimed she was the victim of a “racist, right-wing campaign” in a city that had only eight percent Trump voters in the last election. The leader of the recall effort was actually a progressive constituent who is sick of Sawant’s divisive, self-serving brand.

It was the kind of political manipulation that led so many to distrust Sawant city-wide. But in her far-left district, home to what was known as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), she isn’t much of an outsider. It’s why her strategy won, albeit by a squeaker. Her victory threatens the momentum from Seattle’s more reasonable citywide voting base.

Seattle voters, as a whole, vote reliably progressive. But they started to course-correct in the November off-year election, rejecting two police and prison abolitionist candidates running for Seattle City Attorney and City Council. They even eschewed the police defunding mayoral candidate for a more pragmatic progressive.

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After years of absurdly left-wing policies that worsened homeless, drug addiction, public safety, and the city’s relationship with the business community, voters said it was time for slightly more moderate (by Seattle standards) candidates.

In effect, they didn’t want more Sawant-like politicians running the city. After all, those candidates support Sawant’s ban on homeless encampment sweeps, the push to decriminalize drugs, attacks on police, and endless taxes on businesses.

But the light that kept Seattle’s soul alive is nearly extinguished. Sawant remaining on the council, seemingly learning nothing from the experience, will likely only empower her…

Sawant has undoubtedly been effective at pushing through legislation that makes socialists happy. They’re blinded by their fringe beliefs and they don’t realize (or care) how badly it’s hurting the city. When they do acknowledge a negative impact, they argue it’s because their policies weren’t allowed to go far enough. Now Sawant feels invincible, buoyed by this campaign win. That makes her more dangerous than ever.