The Stranger Still Can’t Help Themselves
Those who know me well know one thing: I never back down from a challenge—and I never turn down an interview. I’ve always believed that good debate sharpens ideas, even when it gets uncomfortable. I’ve sat across from people I strongly disagree with, and I’ve always shown up because that’s what engagement in public life should look like.
That’s been my approach since my earliest days as a community activist, long before I ever ran for office. But one outlet in Seattle has always played by a different set of rules: The Stranger.
I agreed to an interview with The Stranger — the same far-left outlet that mocked death threats against my family.
They lied, denied agreeing to recording & without notice, turned it into a “debate.”
“This wasn’t journalism — it was an ambush.”
Here’s what really happened. pic.twitter.com/1cr8l2yQUW
— Ari Hoffman 🎗 (@thehoffather) October 17, 2025
When I ran for office in 2019, The Stranger decided I’d make an excellent punching bag. They realized demonizing me brought them clicks. I realized I could turn their smears into fundraising emails. Every time they called me names, I raised money off their outrage. It was a win-win—at least until I lost the race and they lost their favorite target.
During that campaign, my family and I received anti-Semitic death threats serious enough to draw investigations by both the Seattle Police Department and the FBI. Every major local outlet—KOMO, KING 5, KIRO 7, FOX 13— immediately covered the story because it was public, documented, and horrifying. Every major outlet except The Stranger. They alone demanded I “prove” it happened. When the evidence was undeniable, they mocked it. Mocked my family’s fear. Mocked the threats themselves.
That was when I decided I would never again legitimize The Stranger by giving them the attention they crave. I moved on.
Years later, I’ve built a career in radio and media. I hadn’t thought much about The Stranger until recently—when King County Elections asked me to write the opposition statement for the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise (FEPP) levy renewal. It’s a $1.3 billion tax that doubles down on a failing system with no meaningful accountability. I said yes because, frankly, too few Republicans in this city ever show up for these fights.
And that’s when The Stranger came calling again.
A reporter named Nathalie Graham—one of the very same people who mocked the threats against my family—asked for an “endorsement meeting.” Against my better judgment, I said yes. Maybe, I thought, they’re trying to turn over a new leaf. Maybe they want a real discussion.
I confirmed the interview but asked two simple things: could we move it to avoid a Jewish holiday, and could I record it? They said yes to both.
Fast-forward to the day of the meeting. I log onto the Zoom call—recorder ready, camera rolling—and one of the first things they say is: “No recording allowed.” Then they drop another surprise: this wasn’t an interview. It was a debate against the pro-tax side.
No notice. No transparency. No integrity.
When I reminded them that recording had been approved, they denied it. Nathalie Graham stayed silent while others insisted that permission had never been given. Later, after the damage was done, I got an email saying it was all just a “miscommunication.” Sure.
So there I was, ambushed in a fake debate, arguing against a billion-dollar tax while dealing with people who can’t even honor a basic professional agreement. I still made my case: that Seattle has poured money into education levies for years without demanding measurable results. The city’s own reports show waste, mismanagement, and negligible impact. And yet, rather than fix the system, they want to expand it.
When the other side tried to pivot to “learning loss from the pandemic,” I reminded them who kept kids out of classrooms for two years: the teachers’ unions The Stranger and their allies never dare to criticize. If they truly cared about learning loss, they’d extend the school day, add class time, and make up for the years students lost. But no—that would require confronting their political friends.
Later, when they brought up school safety, the conversation suddenly went “offline.” Because when they say “school safety,” they don’t mean bringing back school resource officers. They mean more bureaucracy, more DEI consultants, more anything but actual safety.
The whole thing was a farce. A setup designed to manufacture clicks, not inform voters. And they wonder why The Stranger barely prints anymore, why their readership has collapsed. It’s not because of the internet—it’s because Seattle has outgrown their brand of dishonest activism masquerading as journalism.
I’ll engage with anyone who argues in good faith. I’ve debated activists, politicians, and fellow media hosts across the spectrum. But The Stranger doesn’t operate in good faith. They bait, distort, and spin for clicks. This time, they catfished me into an “endorsement interview” that turned out to be a staged ambush.
Am I angry about it? Not really. I got a full radio segment out of it, and it’s great content. But I am disappointed that my listeners won’t get to see the exchange themselves—because I would’ve loved to show you how thoroughly I dismantled their arguments.
At the beginning and end of that so-called “endorsement meeting,” I told them the truth: No matter what I say today, you’ll endorse the tax. You’ll always endorse the tax.
They proved me right before the recording even started.
