The San Francisco Republican Party has elected as chair an education consultant who will be the face of a small but growing conservative community in the deep-blue city.
Bill Jackson, 60, an entrepreneur turned Republican activist, said his goal is to be a bridge builder: He often votes for Democrats in local races, as there rarely are Republican candidates, and aspires to “break the taboo among a certain class of San Francisco Democratic political leaders to even work with Republicans.”
In 2021, Jackson cofounded the centrist Republican group Briones Society. In March, a slate of candidates organized by the Briones Society, including Jackson, won in a landslide in the Republican County Central Committee election, signaling a moderate shift in the local party.
As Mayor Daniel Lurie celebrated his inauguration on Wednesday, Jackson and his fellow winners were sworn in as Republican Party leaders, who will set the agenda, make endorsements, and attempt to expand the party’s influence. Jackson said his top choices in the November mayoral election were Lurie and moderate Democrat Mark Farrell, though he declined to reveal his ranked-choice order.
Jackson said he’s “fully supportive” of Lurie’s efforts and expects “the Republican Party to be watching closely and advocating for bolder action.”
A Noe Valley resident, Jackson taught in China for two years and later founded a popular website, GreatSchools.org. He now works as a private education consultant.
Jackson hasn’t ruled out a run for school board but knows that, in local races, a victory for a Republican is a long shot. He said that in an ideal situation, San Francisco voters might elect to public office a Republican who forms a strong alliance with other parties.
“Maybe your first elected Republican actually comes in coalition with a Democrat or some ‘no party preference’ folks,” he said.
‘Not a Trump worshiper’
Jackson said he voted for President-elect Donald Trump but emphasized that he’s not far right, and his view of Democrats is that “they’re wrong” but are not “evil and want to destroy the country.”
He rejected the “moderate” and “centrist” labels, describing himself as a “principled conservative.” In practice, that means he supported Trump’s policies but condemned the Jan. 6 insurrection.
“I’m not a Trump worshiper,” Jackson stated. “We should be willing to say that [Jan. 6] wasn’t a good day. We made some mistakes. We won’t do it again. American people, you can trust us to safeguard the institutions of democracy and move on.”
Dozens of supporters — including registered Democrats — attended a Briones Society happy hour event Thursday in Japantown.
“There’s a sense the Democratic platform isn’t rooted in reality,” Arvind Ramesh, a Democrat who works in tech, said at the event. He expressed frustration with his party’s handling of street safety, cleanliness, and accountability issues, and was glad to find like-minded Republican friends.
Ramesh said he’s reluctant to change his affiliation but hopes to influence the party by voting in primaries and in Democratic County Central Committee races, for example. San Francisco is overwhelmingly liberal, with more than 63% Democratic registration and about 8% Republican.
‘The most thankless job’
For John Dennis, the outgoing San Francisco Republican Party chair, the changing of the guard is bittersweet.
“Being the chairman of the San Francisco Republican Party is probably the most thankless [job]. But it is also rewarding in its own ways,” he said.
Dennis disputed claims that the party has taken a moderate turn, stating that the city’s GOP leadership has always maintained a moderate and reasonable voice. He said the Briones Society’s image as moderate is just a campaign tactic.
Under Dennis’ leadership, the party saw modest growth. A year ago, the city had 35,975 registered Republicans; the latest data from the SF Department of Elections show a 14% increase to 40,453. During the same period, Democratic registration increased by 4%.
“They’ve got big shoes to fill,” Dennis joked. “You have to write that I’m laughing when I say this.”