Follow every race on The Standard’s election day live blog

Election Day is upon us. Voters nationwide and in San Francisco are watching with bated breath (or trying not to watch at all) as the historically close and high-stakes races are counted. 

Pollsters generally have Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump tied for the presidency. The San Francisco mayoral race is also close, with Mayor London Breed and top challenger Daniel Lurie seen as top contenders in a battle that could come down to just a handful of votes. But with ranked-choice voting, Mark Farrell or Supervisor Aaron Peskin could still win the day.

Races we’re watching: Voters will decide on Proposition K, which aims to permanently ban private vehicles from a 2-mile stretch of the Upper Great Highway between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard. Supporters of Prop. K back the creation of a new park. 

Also on deck is Prop. D, which aims to dramatically reduce the number of city commissions to a hard cap of 65, while expanding mayoral powers. Prop. E, a similar but competing proposal introduced by Peskin, was put on the ballot as a “poison pill” to thwart Prop. D, according to its opponents. If both measures pass, the one with more votes will become law. It has become the most expensive ballot measure fight in this year’s election.

And then there is the hotly contested battle for District 5, where incumbent Supervisor Dean Preston is facing off with main challenger Bilal Mahmood, a tech entrepreneur and relative newcomer. The supervisor race is one of the most expensive ever, with more than $1.5 million in total contributions. 

Also worth keeping an eye on is the race for District 1, where Supervisor Connie Chan is challenged by moderate Marjan Philhour, who ran for the seat in 2016 and 2020, losing to Chan in the latter year by 123 votes. Will her third run for office be the charm? 

This story will be updated with local and national election results as and when they come in. Refresh for updates from across the city, where we’ll be attending candidates’ events, bouncing around watch parties, and bringing you up-to-the-minute vibe checks.  

Dozens of people packed out Manny’s on Valencia street on Monday night in preparation for Election Day over a plate of Zuni chicken and a floral white wine.

Supervisor Matt Dorsey even poured refills for the crowd gathered in the cafe that’s well-known for its political events.

People traded predictions, consoled anxieties, and prepared for the expected chaos for what was shaping up to be yet another close presidential election.

Castro resident Maura McGinn waited patiently in line with a camouflauge Harris – Walz hat. Rejuvenated by the recent Iowa poll showing the Democrat taking a surprising lead over Donald Trump, she said she was optimistic for Kamala Harris, but less so for her mayoral pick London Breed.

“I think the House, the Senate, and a lot of the local propositions have been sacrificed due to the national election. I think that’s where a lot of the energy is for the average voter,” said McGinn, who spent her Monday campaigning for the incumbent mayor.

McGinn worried that the doom loop narrative about San Francisco would sink Breed’s chances at winning, despite what she see as the mayor’s successes.

“My friends in Amsterdam or even North Carolina ask me if I feel safe in San Francisco. I think people bought into that safety narrative locally as well,” said McGinn. “Only recently have people noticed what [Mayor Breed] has done. I say don’t make perfection the enemy of great. Unfortunately I think Lurie is going to pull through because of this.”

—Sam Mondros

Former interim Mayor Mark Farrell and Levi’s heir Daniel Lurie are the most serious contenders for mayor, according to an unscientific poll of Standard readers published Saturday.

Respondents showed the most confidence in Farrell, with 1,046 predicting he will emerge victorious after Tuesday’s election. In second place was Lurie, with 824 people betting he will be the city’s next mayor.

Other polls have shown Lurie’s standing in the mayor’s race skyrocket in the months leading up to the election, borne by a wave of campaign spending far surpassing his opponents.

Peter Johnston, who said his top issues are housing and public transit, thinks the wealthy political outsider will outperform his opponents thanks to the city’s ranked-choice voting system. 

“The other three top candidates are too polarizing to draw enough second-choice votes,” Johnston said. “Breed is my obvious first pick, and Farrell and Peskin are both utterly disqualifying given my values.”

Nick Podell made a similar prediction.

“Daniel Lurie wins in RCV round 4,” he said.

—Garrett Leahy

Two people who said they were campaigning for Trump, alongside a woman they said was homeless as a result of Democratic policies and a man who was filming, came to the Democratic headquarters in downtown San Francisco Monday afternoon.

Although the Trump supporters claimed to be there to “convert people to the other side,” the encounter escalated as they refused to leave. Eventually, the group, which declined to give their names, was escorted out by security after the interaction, which almost turned into a shoving match.

One of the men appeared to be YouTuber Danny Mullen, who describes himself as a comedian on social media and posts videos of himself “raiding” cities and college campuses. Mullen did not respond to The Standard’s request for comment.

— Amanda Andrade-Rhoades