Across San Francisco, people are buzzing about Kamala Harris.
President Joe Biden’s abrupt withdrawal from the election and endorsement of his vice president have sparked excitement — but also skepticism — among Black voters in the town where Harris got her start in politics as top prosecutor.
For many who spoke to The Standard about Harris’ rise to the Democrats’ presumptive nominee, her candidacy evokes memories of Barack Obama’s historic bid for the White House in 2008. “It does remind me of the Obama campaign in a lot of ways,” said Theo Ellington, a local activist. “She’s really taking this to the next level.”
Ellington praised Harris for her use of technology and social media to engage voters, noting her ability to organize large-scale calls with Black supporters nationwide. In a press release Friday, Harris’ campaign acknowledged the efforts of Black organizers in helping the vice president’s team raise $126 million between Monday and Wednesday. A recent “Win With Black Women” virtual pep rally raised more than $1.6 million in three hours, according to The 19th News.
“It’s just been impressive to watch,” Ellington said.
Harris, the former San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general and U.S. senator, is the first-ever major-party presidential candidate from the Bay Area.
“We saw Biden over time, and it just became more and more clear that he spent his life in service, in public service, and now is the time to pass the baton,” Ellington said. “He couldn’t have selected a better candidate.”
San Francisco resident Felicia Pitre, 56, found renewed energy in Harris’ candidacy after feeling despondent about the matchup between Biden and former President Donald Trump. “I have some excitement. I have some hope,” she said.
A former city employee, Pitre said she wasn’t particularly fond of Harris as the district attorney. But now she sees the vice president as the only candidate she can support, noting that she plans to volunteer for the campaign.
“Even my mom — she’ll be 75 in September — I was telling her that I think I’m going to volunteer for the campaign. This will be my first time ever doing that. I didn’t even do that with Obama,” Pitre said. “And she says, ‘You know what, maybe that’s something that I can do too.’”
Uzuri Pease-Greene, who leads a nonprofit in Potrero Hill and once ran for District 10 supervisor, spoke frankly about the options before voters.
“The bottom line is that we got two people running: Kamala Harris, a Black woman from San Francisco, and Trump,” Pease-Greene said. “Now, if Trump gets into office, everybody might as well — everybody’s screwed, and you can quote me on that.”
Pease-Greene said Harris will face an uphill battle against Trump, adding that she hopes the vice president “takes the high road” and doesn’t lead “a messy campaign.”
“Just be you. Do the facts,” Pease-Greene said. “But we have to rally folks to vote and really utilize their voice and vote, and that’s what’s important as well.”
Even Republicans such as Allen Jones, a candidate for District 5 supervisor, recognize the excitement around Harris and say she has a good shot at winning.
“At the end of the day, people are going to look at her accomplishments and the shenanigans of the Republicans and what they’re doing,” Jones said. “They’re going to continue to trip over themselves and basically hand the presidency over to Kamala Harris, even though I’m not saying she has the greatest experience in such a short four-year term as vice president.”
But even in deep-blue San Francisco, the enthusiasm isn’t universal.
“I have mixed feelings about her because she was the district attorney,” said a 47-year-old who identified herself only as Christine.
Harris has called herself a progressive prosecutor, but her history is complicated. Skeptics have criticized her for not embracing certain reforms while she was district attorney and attorney general, though she did push for other changes. As district attorney, Harris implemented a program known as “Back on Track,” which enabled first-time nonviolent offenders to avoid prison if they finished job training. As attorney general, she started implicit bias training for law enforcement.
Christine said she wants Harris to address her record on criminal justice and hopes that, if elected, she would work to reduce police brutality. She said she doesn’t care about the fact that Harris is a woman.
“Maybe 10 years ago I would have been excited. I don’t know,” Christine said.
While shopping at Super Save Supermarket on Third Street, Free Williams, 63, said she remembers when Harris ran for Senate in 2016 and promised to uplift the city. Williams said those promises were broken.
“You just trying to get in the house,” Williams said. “But you gotta put the work in.”
Abortion is a major issue this election, as red states continue to limit access in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Harris has long supported the right to abortion and is expected to make the issue a central component of her campaign.
Williams, a mother to seven, said she is against abortion but stopped short of saying she supports restrictions on access. “I don’t support abortion,” she said. “But I can’t make someone else’s decision for them.”
Asked if she would vote for Harris, Williams said, “I’m kinda skeptical.” She added, “I wanna read up on the other candidates and see what they wanna do.”
Voters who expressed support for Harris highlighted a range of issues they hope she will address if elected.
Leander Davis, 62, called for improved financial literacy and access to loans for lower-income Americans. Davis said he plans to vote for Harris, but his optimism is cautious at best.
“I feel more positive about her making changes than Trump,” Davis said as he visited Shear’s Beauty and Barber Shop on Newhall Street in the Bayview. “I’ve seen president after president. I’ve never seen changes.”