San Francisco’s vastly outnumbered Republicans don’t have a candidate representing them in the upcoming mayoral election, but they have managed to find consensus on their favorite Democrat in the field — and it’s not the obvious one.
The San Francisco Republican Party and the rising moderate Republican group Briones Society have put Daniel Lurie, who has never held a government job, at the top of their mayoral recommendation lists.
The decision to back the nonprofit founder and Levi’s heir comes as a snub to Mark Farrell, a former supervisor and interim mayor who has been campaigning as the most conservative pick among the major candidates. Farrell has received some support from Republican camps but is not the first choice of the two most high-profile groups.
“Lurie edged out Farrell because our committee felt the time is ripe for a new crop of candidates and new perspectives in City Hall, including in the mayor’s office,” Briones Society founder Jay Donde told The Standard. His group won control of the Republican County Central Committee in a landslide victory in March.
Donde said he wanted to emphasize the importance of voting for both candidates in the ranked-choice election.
The highly competitive mayoral race could be decided by a small number of votes. Lurie, who’s surging in polls, has been attacking other candidates as City Hall insiders, claiming he is the outsider who can fix the core problems of corruption, drugs, and homelessness
In a statement, Lurie said he is a lifelong Democrat and is not seeking Republican endorsement; however, his campaign has always been about bringing people into the fold.
“I welcome the support of every San Franciscan who is committed to restoring safety, ending homelessness, and shutting down open-air drug markets,” Lurie said. “That’s not partisan. It’s common sense.”
The local Republican Party sent tens of thousands of mailers to registered members, comparing the major candidates based on five issues — the drug crisis, crime, housing, the economy, and education — and ranking Lurie on top. Farrell is listed below him.
According to the GOP’s ranking, Mayor London Breed has done well in housing and education, while Supervisors Aaron Peskin and Ahsha Safaí failed in all five categories.
Party Chair John Dennis said the chart is not technically an endorsement or show of support, but the group “wanted to offer the average Republican voters some guidance about what we were thinking about the race.”
Meanwhile, San Francisco Young Republicans support Farrell as their first choice; Ellen Lee Zhou, the only Republican in the race, as their second; and Peskin as their third because of his stance against big developers.
Marie Hurabiell, executive director and founder of a new independent group called ConnectedSF, is endorsing Lurie as her top choice. Hurabiell, whose organization is focused on “anti-status-quo,” said Lurie stands out for his outsider image, emphasis on public safety, and fresh takes on government and nonprofit accountability.
Hurabiell, a longtime Republican turned Democrat, acknowledged that Farrell’s right-leaning policy ideas are attractive and said she’s supporting him as a second choice. However, she believes Lurie’s wealthy background is a benefit because “he can’t be bought,” and that’s a key advantage when it comes to rooting out the city’s corruption problem.
“We need a change,” Hurabiell said. “We need someone who’s not beholden to anybody.”