We asked every San Francisco politician: Should Dem Party Chair Nancy Tung step down?

Declined to answer the question.

Under Nancy Tung, the San Francisco Democratic Party has lost all credibility. I stand with SFWPC in calling on Chair Tung to resign. Survivors deserve leaders who stand with them when it matters, not when it becomes politically convenient. Accountability must begin with her resignation.

San Francisco’s political establishment had months to act. Party leaders had a formal complaint, public reporting and a survivor standing before them asking to be heard. They endorsed Manny Yekutiel anyway, deepening the harm to Brad Chapin and sending a devastating message to all survivors. No policy forced an endorsement, they made that choice.

When more survivors courageously came forward last week, the SFDCCC’s response was to schedule a meeting ten days later to ‘reconsider’ its endorsement. No immediate withdrawal of support. No call for Manny to end his campaign. Survivors were asked to wait again. Then it took Chair Tung four days to apologize after Manny’s campaign collapsed and he had become a political liability.

Did not return multiple messages.

Did not return multiple messages.

Did not return multiple messages.

Did not return multiple messages.

I think Nancy Tung is one of the best and most effective Democratic Party chairs I’ve seen in more than 35 years of being in and around San Francisco politics. She deserves a lot of credit for taking on tough issues her predecessors avoided, including creating a Code of Conduct and Policies for Sexual Assault and Harassment. As a career prosecutor, Nancy knows better than most how hard it is to balance serious accusations with the rights of the accused — but that it’s incredibly important to do so anyway. These are always tough issues, whether they play out in a court of law or a court of public opinion. I think it speaks volumes about her commitment to getting it right that she issued a public apology. So, I have a lot of respect for Nancy Tung’s leadership, humility and class — and zero respect for demands that she step down

The chair has greatly disappointed me but has not done anything illegal. This is an internal decision by the elected members and the Democratic voters of San Francisco can hold the entire DCCC accountable if San Franciscans don’t agree.

Did not return multiple messages.

Yes. Clearly, the DCCC failed Brad Chapin, the first person to come forward with a story about a sexual assault by Manny. The problem is bigger than Nancy Tung, however, as a number of sitting DCCC members, and non-DCCC members, including Board President Rafael Mandelman and Mayor Daniel Lurie stood by Manny even after Brad came forward. Neither Mandelman nor Lurie have apologized for or retracted their problematic statements doubling down on their support of Manny, Lurie having said “I asked Manny about it. He assured me that the allegation simply was not true” and Mandelman having said “I think sexual assault occurs differently [in the gay community] and there’s a different threshold.

I will just say that all members of the DCCC should be Democrats.

You can even say: I will just say that all members of the DCCC should AT LEAST be Democrats.

I don’t believe we have a Democratic Party in San Francisco.

Our community deserves leaders that they can trust. San Francisco’s Democratic Party (DCCC) previously adopted guidelines governing sexual assault and harassment. They failed to adhere to their own policies, did not initiate an investigation and instead endorsed a candidate with a serious sexual assault allegation. It should not be required for multiple victims to come forward before allegations are investigated. The Party Chair now admits the process failed survivors. An apology is not enough. Those responsible must be held accountable for these decisions and show how they will prevent this from happening again. Our communities deserve leaders with the courage to hold their own allies accountable.

ANYBODY who voted to give Manny the @SFDemocrats endorsement must resign NOW

ANYBODY who backed Manny must have their @SFDemocrats endorsement pulled NOW

Accountability is repairing harm, NOT performative acts to rehabilitate the image of those who showed their HORRIFYING judgement

If @mattdorsey @NancyTungSF & anybody else who voted to give my Democratic Party endorsement to Manny had any decency, they would resign themselves.

No. The Democratic Party’s process around sexual harassment and sexual violence needs to be revamped. Chair Tung has been clear she is committed to making that change, and she apologized for the process’s failure. Chair Tung has stabilized and grown the San Francisco Democratic Party. She is also one of our most effective Chinese American leaders in San Francisco. She has my support.

I’ve spoken with Chair Tung and am waiting to hear from survivors and others at the upcoming meeting during public comment. As a candidate in this race where this has been largely centered, I want to be sure we’re focused on survivors and hear what folks have to say when given the opportunity Sunday night.

I believe Nancy Tung should step down as Chair of the SF Democratic Party. The rollout of the Code of Conduct and the process for handling sexual assault and harassment complaints was a failure of leadership. We should have met within 72 hours to revoke the Manny endorsement and make a new one before ballots dropped on October 5th. Voters are confused, and many have told me they’ve lost confidence in the party. A new Chair can restore our credibility.

Survivors who come forward deserve compassion, support and leaders willing to act — even when the accused is a political ally. Under Nancy Tung’s leadership, the SFDCCC failed that test.

Yes, she should step down as chair. Voters gave Nancy her DCCC seat, and they can decide what happens to it. The committee made her chair; the chair is responsible for the institution she leads, and the institution failed.

In 2024, the party built a process that promised to protect survivors. In August, that process ended with no finding on what happened and failed to protect the person who came forward. Brad Chapin spoke before the committee himself and called the process “a sham.” The party said his complaint fell outside its rules and endorsed the same day, 12 to 10.

That same month, Nancy used her authority as chair to keep a resolution restricting Flock off the agenda. A month later, two members with ties to Flock voted on Flock cameras, and her response was that the party had no rule against it. The chair has discretion, and she clearly uses it. Having no rule doesn’t mean having no responsibility.

I appreciate that Nancy has since apologized for the endorsement and acknowledged that the party’s framework “broke down and did not protect survivors.” That apology came nearly six weeks after the endorsement and after the party’s candidate had already left the race. I don’t doubt that Nancy is sorry, but accountability is not a judgment about whether someone feels remorse. It is about whether leadership carries consequences when an institution fails, and I don’t believe the person who led the party through this failure should be the one to lead it out.

Who replaces her matters. A new chair backed by the same slate may change little. But who decided this has to be the status quo? The status quo isn’t working for us, and uncertainty about what comes next isn’t a reason to preserve what has already failed.

This is bigger than Nancy. The party told survivors it would protect them. When that promise was tested, its process failed the person who came forward, and the committee endorsed anyway. That cannot become our precedent. The next person weighing whether to come forward is watching what our party does now.

Every survivor, of every gender, deserves to be taken seriously by our leaders and by the public. Speaking up must cost less than staying silent.

You can note for the record that I’ll make comments after the DCCC special meeting.

Yes. Nancy Tung should step down as San Francisco Democratic Party chair. Our endorsements carry our party’s name. They should also carry our values.

When Brad Chapin brought serious allegations against Manny Yekutiel, he waited months for a process that ultimately said it would not consider his complaint. The DCCC then endorsed Yekutiel. Under Tung’s leadership, the party failed to give Brad a fair process before making that decision.

The handling of Flock raises further concerns. Tung coauthored a resolution defending the company while two members employed by Flock were allowed to vote on it. Her officeholder account also received $10,000 from billionaire Chris Larsen, a Flock investor. She later used that account to pay for travel to a Flock conference. Those relationships demanded scrutiny and clear safeguards before the vote.

Democrats must uphold the standards we ask of others. Tung has lost my confidence as chair.

When Brad Chapin came forward this summer, he did what we ask survivors to do. The San Francisco Democratic Party, under Chair Nancy Tung, delayed, declared its own code didn’t apply, and endorsed anyway.

It took more survivors coming forward and the candidate leaving the race before the party admitted its process failed. Today’s apology confirms that failure. The leader who oversaw it can’t be the one to fix it.

I’m calling on Nancy Tung to step down as Chair, and I urge DCCC members to use the October 11 special meeting to start a real review of how the party handles misconduct complaints, with survivors at the table.

I believe Nancy Tung should step down as San Francisco Democratic Party chair. Under her leadership, the process failed the survivors it was supposed to protect. Taking responsibility after the fact must be followed by meaningful accountability, stronger policies, and leadership with the insight and judgment to act responsibly during crucial moments.

My concerns also extend to her alignment with billionaire interests. Her reported acceptance of $10,000 from a billionaire supporter of Flock, alongside her role in helping block consideration of a surveillance resolution, raises serious questions about her independence and priorities.

San Francisco’s working people and retirees deserve leadership that protects their safety, rights, and voices. I believe restoring that trust requires new leadership.