SF Gate has a piece up on June voting and its usefulness as a dress rehearsal for candidates. District Supervisors David Campos and David Chiu are both on the ballot with Republican David Salaverry, who is unlikely to win many votes. The top two vote-getters move on and that means we will see Campos and Chiu again on the November ballot.
The article points out that Chiu has raised $608,000 compared to Campos’s $368,000. Despite the attacks in campaign literature:
“the two agree on a lot. Both cite the city’s housing shortage, affordability issues, transportation investment and education as priorities. And their legislative vote records are strikingly similar, save for the Mirkarimi issue, a few housing developments and one tax reform measure that Chiu supported and Campos opposed.” READ MORE.
The Mirkarimi issue is a reference to Campos’s vote to support Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi after his guilty plea for a domestic violence misdemeanor.
Salaverry comes over as a decent guy but of course he cannot win, as you note.
However, Republicans could be key in this election. There aren’t many of them but this is an open primary, meaning that they can, and probably should, tactically vote for the Democrat they like the least rather than their own guy.
10% of SF voters are registered Republicans and, while that is never enough to win an election, it is enough to swing a close race in favor of the more moderate less “progressive” candidate. Arguably one could say that that is what happens in every mayoral race, especially under RCV.
IOW, SF GOP voters will tactically vote for Chiu to keep Campos out.
That’s you and which other guy?
10% of SF voters is two people, Russo?
Heck, there are two Republicans on my black, that I know of.
GOP voters make the difference in close elections, even in SF.