Results from the San Francisco mayor’s race show voters favoring a candidate who would break more than a century of political tradition at City Hall.
Nonprofit founder and Levi’s heir Daniel Lurie, who was essentially unknown to many San Franciscans just a year ago, edged out Mayor London Breed in early returns Tuesday evening.
Standing before an electric crowd at The Chapel in the Mission, Lurie said the initial tallies made him feel optimistic about his chances.
“Turning around this city is not going to happen overnight,” said Lurie, who has financed his campaign with more than $8 million of his own money. “We have extremely difficult challenges ahead. We know this. But here’s another truth: Our opportunities and advantages are more powerful.”
Lurie, who led the anti-poverty nonprofit Tipping Point for nearly two decades, said it was time to end the politics of “demonizing each other on every issue,” citing the moderate-versus-progressive divide.
“We see ourselves as San Franciscans,” he said. “And it’s never been more clear to me that so many people love this city. And it’s time for us to start making people feel like the city loves them back.”
When asked how about election results as they stood Tuesday night, Breed struck a defiant tone at a watch party at Little Skillet restaurant. In her 2018 race against Mark Leno and Jane Kim, she was trailing in early returns, too.
“And you see me standing here right now as mayor of San Francisco,” Breed said.
Her tone sharpened, and revulsion rolled off her tongue, when The Standard asked about the mountain of money spent in the mayor’s race.
“It has a tremendous impact,” Breed said. “It’s been one of the most sad and horrible things that someone could take their personal wealth and buy this office. It’s disgusting.”
Meanwhile, Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin was in third place in first-ranked votes, while former Supervisor and interim Mayor Mark Farrell trailed in fourth.
In many ways, this election marks a seminal moment.
San Francisco voters have been overwhelmingly frustrated with the state of the city since the pandemic, placing much of the blame on Breed. Polls showed her approval ratings plummet amid concerns about crime, homelessness, and corruption at City Hall.
Should Breed lose the office, it will be the third time in recent city history that an incumbent mayor has been ousted due to voter dissatisfaction.
In 1991, Mayor Art Agnos suffered voters’ frustrations over homeless encampments, with one in front of City Hall dubbed “Camp Agnos.” His replacement, Mayor Frank Jordan, lost to Willie Brown in 1995 as the electorate bemoaned a police department in disarray.
Lurie’s message capitalized on similar frustrations, arguing that crime, homelessness, and a fentanyl crisis killing people in record numbers require new leadership to solve.
But his opponents pointed to Lurie’s thin record and lack of government experience. If elected, he would be the first mayor since 1911 to step into the role without prior government service.
Lurie’s campaign party on Tuesday night was full of excited supporters — including his mother, Mimi Haas, who donated $1 million to an independent expenditure committee supporting her son. Alexander Lurie, the candidate’s brother, was also present, along with other relatives.
Erika Atkinson, who previously voted for Breed, said she was ready for someone different, and Lurie seems to fit the bill.
“He stands up to what he knows he can do,” she said. “And I believe him when he says he will come through.”
The vibes at Breed’s election night party were not nearly so chipper.
At Victory Hall & Parlor by the ballpark, festive yellow-and-blue balloons clung to the ceiling. The bar was packed with faces glued to their phones, the glow of election returns illuminating their grim expressions.
“It doesn’t feel good,” Breed supporter Jalik Davis said, hanging his head in his hands.
A San Francisco native raised in the historically Black Bayview neighborhood, Davis praised Breed for leading the city through the pandemic and rising fears of crime.
Sitting at a table with Davis was Ayofemi Shannon, another San Francisco native with roots in Hunter’s Point and the Western Addition, where Breed was raised.
Shannon praised Breed for funding the Dream Keeper Initiative, which helped Black first-time homebuyers and funded other community programs for people of color. The program comprising a network of nonprofits was also mired in scandal — and potentially hurt Breed’s chances of landing another term. Shannon blasted Lurie as out of touch due to his wealth.
“It’s upsetting,” Shannon said. “He never lived in these communities to know how people suffered, to know what they went through.”
San Francisco may not know who its next leader is for a while.
Wednesday won’t see any updates to the mayor’s race. Instead, the city’s Department of Elections will publish a report containing the approximate number of ballots still to be counted. On Thursday, the city will begin releasing results every day at 4 p.m. in a report that tallies vote-by-mail ballots received after Election Day.
So, it will likely take several days to reveal Breed’s fate — and the direction of the city.