SF: Doubt Has Only Started to Creep In

Homeless encampment, Ellis St., SF (Chron photo)

The grumblings have gotten louder. More San Francisco voters have become disenchanted with Progressive governance. [bold added]

Voters are dissatisfied with the status quo — which many seem to associate with incompetent progressive governance. Last year, fed-up San Franciscans recalled progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin, ousted three members of a school board that had drawn national scorn for its out-of-touch priorities and elected moderate Democrat Joel Engardio to the Board of Supervisors over progressive incumbent Gordon Mar...

Progressive Democrats across California are increasingly fighting the growing perception that they pursue ideological purity to the point of absurdity. Progressive state lawmakers in Sacramento, for example, hastily reversed themselves after receiving intense public backlash for killing a bill to increase criminal sentences for repeat child traffickers and for refusing to consider bills to toughen penalties for fentanyl dealers.

[Venture capitalist Lee] Edwards told me that progressives routinely dismiss criticisms of San Francisco as conservative distortions. Yet “when it comes to crime, shoplifting, homelessness, drug addiction, housing affordability, we have regressive outcomes here — and they know that!”

Despite the disaffection with Progressivism, it's way too early for Republicans to dream of being elected into any office in San Francisco.

As of September 2023, nearly two-thirds of San Franciscans were registered as Democrats and 29% were independents or voters registered with other parties. The remaining roughly 7% were registered Republicans.

At 7% of San Francisco's 500,000 voters, Republicans have zero influence. Conditions have to get much worse, and for longer, before the electorate even begins to entertain the notion that religious, gun-loving, uneducated, blue-collar deplorable Republicans might have better solutions to the City's problems.