Ed Lee
Edwin Mah Lee (Chinese: 李孟賢; May 5, 1952 – December 12, 2017) was an American politician and attorney who served as the 43rd Mayor of San Francisco from 2011 until his death. He was the first Asian American to hold the office.
Born in ...
, who had died in office on December 12, 2017. Upon Lee's death, London Breed, President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, became Acting Mayor of San Francisco, but a vote of six supervisors replaced Breed with Supervisor Mark Farrell. The mayoral election was held concurrently with the statewide direct primary election. In San Francisco, the election for the eighth district member of the board of supervisors was also on the ballot.
Eight candidates qualified to appear on the ballot and a ninth qualified as a write-in. The four major candidates were former Supervisor
Angela Alioto
Angela Mia Alioto Veronese (born October 20, 1949) is an American attorney, politician, member of the Secular Franciscan Order, and founder of the Knights of Saint Francis at the Porziuncola Nuova. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the d ...
Jane Kim
Jane Kim (born July 9, 1977) is an American attorney and politician, and the first Korean American elected official in San Francisco. She represented San Francisco's District 6 on the Board of Supervisors between 2011 and 2019. She is a member ...
and former state senator
Mark Leno
Mark Leno (born September 24, 1951) is an American politician who served in the California State Senate until November 2016. A Democrat, he represented the 11th Senate district, which includes San Francisco and portions of San Mateo County. Bef ...
. All four main candidates identified as Democrats, though the position is officially nonpartisan per the
Constitution of California
The Constitution of California ( es, Constitución de California) is the primary organizing law for the U.S. state of California, describing the duties, powers, structures and functions of the government of California. California's original ...
. The election was won by Breed, with Leno conceding the election on June 13.All local elections in California are nonpartisan.
Background
Ed Lee
Edwin Mah Lee (Chinese: 李孟賢; May 5, 1952 – December 12, 2017) was an American politician and attorney who served as the 43rd Mayor of San Francisco from 2011 until his death. He was the first Asian American to hold the office.
Born in ...
, who was appointed
Mayor of San Francisco
The mayor of the City and County of San Francisco is the head of the executive branch of the San Francisco city and county government. The officeholder has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by ...
in 2011 following
Gavin Newsom
Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who has been the 40th governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California f ...
cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and poss ...
on December 12, 2017. London Breed, the president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, became the city's acting mayor.
On January 23, 2018, the board of supervisors selected Mark Farrell to serve as interim mayor until the special election could be held. Citing
Ron Conway
Ronald Crawford Conway (born March 9, 1951) is an American venture capitalist and philanthropist. He has been described as one of Silicon Valley's " super angels".
Early career
Conway graduated from San Jose State University with a bachelor's d ...
's role as a benefactor to Breed, Supervisors
Aaron Peskin
Aaron Dan Peskin (born June 17, 1964) is an American elected official in San Francisco, California. He serves as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors representing District 3, and is currently Dean of the Board. He was elected in ...
and
Jane Kim
Jane Kim (born July 9, 1977) is an American attorney and politician, and the first Korean American elected official in San Francisco. She represented San Francisco's District 6 on the Board of Supervisors between 2011 and 2019. She is a member ...
, considered the progressive members of the board, sought to deny Breed the benefits of
incumbency
The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...
going into the election.
As San Francisco elections use ranked choice voting, Kim and
Mark Leno
Mark Leno (born September 24, 1951) is an American politician who served in the California State Senate until November 2016. A Democrat, he represented the 11th Senate district, which includes San Francisco and portions of San Mateo County. Bef ...
chose to align with each other, each endorsing the other as their preferred second choice.
The following eight candidates qualified for the ballot by filing all nomination documents and paying the filing fee.Potential Candidates List - June 5, 2018 Election City and County of San Francisco Department of Elections. The deadline for a candidate to drop out of the race and remove himself or herself from the ballot was January 30, 2018.Janie Har San Francisco mayor's race draws big names, crowded field Associated Press (January 9, 2018).
*
Angela Alioto
Angela Mia Alioto Veronese (born October 20, 1949) is an American attorney, politician, member of the Secular Franciscan Order, and founder of the Knights of Saint Francis at the Porziuncola Nuova. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the d ...
, anti-discrimination attorney, former Supervisor; unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 1991, 1995, and 2003Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez Political veteran Angela Alioto pulls papers to run for SF mayor ''San Francisco Examiner'' (December 18, 2017).
*Michelle Bravo, holistic health practitioner ''KTVUFOX2'' (April 23, 2018).Julie LIttma ''Bisnow''(May 15, 2018).
* London Breed, former Acting Mayor; Supervisor (5th district) and president of the board of supervisors
* Richie Greenberg, business consultant, Republican County Central Committee delegateDominic Fracassa Supervisors Breed and Kim in race for SF mayor for real now; Herrera out (January 9, 2018).
*
Jane Kim
Jane Kim (born July 9, 1977) is an American attorney and politician, and the first Korean American elected official in San Francisco. She represented San Francisco's District 6 on the Board of Supervisors between 2011 and 2019. She is a member ...
, Supervisor (6th district), former president of the
San Francisco Board of Education
The San Francisco Board of Education is the school board for the City and County of San Francisco. It is composed of seven Commissioners, elected by voters across the city to serve 4-year terms. It is subject to local, state, and federal laws, an ...
*
Mark Leno
Mark Leno (born September 24, 1951) is an American politician who served in the California State Senate until November 2016. A Democrat, he represented the 11th Senate district, which includes San Francisco and portions of San Mateo County. Bef ...
Carmen Chu
Carmen Chu (; born April 8, 1978)
* Mark Farrell, Supervisor (2nd district), later appointed interim mayor
*
Dennis Herrera
Dennis Herrera is an American attorney, currently serving as Public Utilities Commission general manager for San Francisco. Herrera was previously City Attorney of San Francisco, known for his longtime legal advocacy for same-sex marriage in Cali ...
, City Attorney (2002–present), former president of the city Police Commission
*
Daniel Lurie
Daniel Lurie (born 1976/1977) is an American philanthropist who is the founder and CEO of Tipping Point Community.
Biography
Lurie was born and raised in a Jewish family in San Francisco, the son of Mimi (née Ruchwarger) and Rabbi Brian Lurie. H ...
, philanthropist, CEO of
Tipping Point Community
Tipping Point Community is a grant-making organization aiming to break the cycle of poverty for people in the San Francisco Bay Area whose income level is too low to meet their basic needs. It was founded by Daniel Lurie in 2005.
In addition to ...
*
Scott Wiener
Scott Wiener (born May 11, 1970) is an American politician and a member of the California State Senate. A Democrat, he represents the 11th Senate District, encompassing San Francisco and parts of San Mateo County.
Prior to his election to th ...
, state senator
General election
Endorsements
Polling
Results
First-place votes counted on election night had Breed leading with 35.6 percent, Leno in second with 25.9 percent, and Kim with 22.8 percent. As candidates began to be eliminated, Leno took the lead the next day. He maintained a small lead during the week. On June 9, Breed took the lead over Leno. On June 13, with only 8,000 ballots left to count, Leno conceded defeat and congratulated Breed on her victory.
Results summary
The following table shows a summary of the instant runoff for the election. The table shows the round in which the candidate was defeated or elected the winner, the votes for the candidate in that round, and what share those votes were of all votes counting for any candidate in that round. There is also a bar graph showing those votes for each candidate and categorized as either first-round votes or votes that were transferred from another candidate.
Vote counts by round
The following table shows how votes were counted in a series of rounds of instant runoffs. Each voter could mark which candidates were the voter's first, second, and third choice. Each voter had one vote, but could mark three choices for how that vote can be counted. In each round, the vote is counted for the most preferred candidate that has not yet been eliminated. Then one or more candidates with the fewest votes are eliminated. Votes that counted for an eliminated candidate are transferred to the voter's next most preferred candidate that has not yet been eliminated.
Continuing votes are votes that counted for a candidate in that round. Exhausted ballots represent votes that could not be transferred because a less preferred candidate was not marked on the ballot. Voters were allowed to mark only three choices because of voting system limitations. Over votes are votes that could not be counted for a candidate because more than one candidate was marked for a choice that was ready to be counted. Under votes are ballots were left blank or that only marked a choice for a write-in candidate that had not qualified as a write-in candidate.
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...