By Danielle Silva
Here are some notable endorsements for the SF DA candidates and what the polls have said about the race so far.
NOTABLE ENDORSERS
Chesa Boudin: Senator Bernie Sanders, Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner, San Francisco Public Defender Matt Gonzalez, Civil Rights Icon Angela Davis, Musician John Legend, Co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Movement Alicia Garza, Co-Founder of Real Justice PAC Shaun King, Restorative Justice International
Leif Dautch: San Francisco Fire Fighters Local 798, San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, Peace Officers Research Association of California, San Francisco Democratic Women in Action (#2), San
Francisco Latino Democratic Club (#2), Chinese American Democratic Club (#2), San Francisco League of Conservation Voters (#2)
Suzy Loftus: Governor Gavin Newsom, Senator Kamala Harris, Senator Dianne Feinstein, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, U.S. Congresswoman Katie Porter, Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, CA State Senator Scott Wiener, and CA State Assemblymember David Chiu, U.S. Congresswoman Jackie Speier, Officers for Justice, San Francisco Sheriff’s Managers and Supervisors Association, Civil Rights Leader Dolores Huerta, San Francisco Chronicle, the San Francisco Democratic Party
Nancy Tung: Chinese American Democratic Club (#1), South Asian Bar Association of Northern California, Rose Pak Democratic Club (#3), Retired San Francisco Department Sergeant Melonee Alvarez, Marin County Deputy District Attorney Margaret Pettigrew, Santa Clara Deputy District Attorney and Former President NAPIPA Charles Huang, Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Bill Murphy, Alameda County Sheriff Greg Ahern
THE POLLS
According to a poll released by Tulchin Research on Oct. 18, 2019, the current standings are Chesa Boudin at 21%, Suzy Loftus at 18%, Nancy Tung at 11%, and Leif Dautch at 10%. 40% of the polling pool, made up of 400 likely November 5 election voters from Oct. 13 to Oct. 16, stated that they were undecided. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.89%.
In their review, they stated Boudin “does especially well with progressives and voters under 40 years old” and also has a diverse support group consisting of Democrats, independents, men and women from all ethnicities, and younger and older voters.
Boudin’s most popular issues, according to the poll, are: ensuring a criminal justice system that works equally for all people, not just the wealthy and well connected; not using jail as a mental health facility and directing people to mental health programs rather than jail time; and standing against Trump’s attack on immigrants by protecting immigrant rights and keeping families together.
A separate poll, conducted by the Public Policy Polling, also revealed that 40% of participants did not approve of Suzy Loftus’s appointment for interim district attorney with 25% agreeing with the decision and 35% unsure. This was taken from a pool of 529 San Francisco voters from October 11 to 13.
