So, you’re looking at the wreckage of the last election and wondering who's left standing. Honestly, the drama around the san francisco mayor candidates from the 2024 cycle hasn’t really cooled off, even though Daniel Lurie is already moving his furniture into Room 200.
San Francisco politics is a special kind of blood sport. One day you’re the incumbent with a national profile, and the next, you’re conceding to a guy who’s never held public office. That’s exactly what happened to London Breed.
People are still dissecting how a Levi Strauss heir—someone the "progressive" wing dismissed as a wealthy outsider—managed to sweep through the ranked-choice voting mess and land the job. It wasn't just about the money, although having a few million bucks in the war chest certainly didn't hurt. It was a vibe shift. Voters were just... tired.
The Heavy Hitters Who Defined the Race
When we talk about the san francisco mayor candidates, you have to look at the "Big Five." This wasn't a race of unknowns. You had career politicians, a former interim mayor, and a nonprofit founder all screaming for attention.
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- Daniel Lurie: The winner. He ran on a "common sense" platform. Basically, he told voters, "I haven't been part of the system that broke the city, so I'm the only one who can fix it." It worked.
- London Breed: The incumbent. She had the impossible task of defending a city struggling with retail theft, open-air drug markets, and a downtown that looked like a ghost town on Tuesdays.
- Mark Farrell: A former interim mayor and supervisor. He was the "tough love" candidate. He wanted to bring in the National Guard to deal with the Fentanyl crisis. He had a lot of support from the Marina and the West Side but couldn't quite bridge the gap to the rest of the city.
- Aaron Peskin: The progressive lion. If you’ve followed SF politics for more than five minutes, you know Peskin. He’s the Board of Supervisors President who’s been the foil to every mayor for twenty years. He was the only one in the race really representing the "far-left" wing.
- Ahsha Safaí: The supervisor from District 11. He tried to position himself as the labor guy, the middle-ground candidate, but he struggled to get oxygen with the other four sucking up all the media coverage.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Results
A lot of folks think Daniel Lurie won just because he outspent everyone. That's a bit of a lazy take. While his mother, Mimi Haas, did drop a historic $1 million into a pro-Lurie committee, money doesn't always buy San Francisco. Just ask Michael Bloomberg or Tom Steyer.
Lurie won because he captured the "fed-up" vote. He played the middle beautifully. He wasn't as aggressively conservative on policing as Farrell, but he wasn't as permissive as the progressives.
Look at the maps. Lurie didn't just win the wealthy enclaves. He made significant inroads in neighborhoods that usually go for moderate Democrats but felt abandoned by the status quo. He talked about "accountability" more than "ideology." People liked that.
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The Ranked-Choice Factor
San Francisco uses Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV). If you don't live here, it sounds like a math nightmare. Basically, you pick your top three (or more) favorites. If nobody gets 50% in the first round, the person in last place is eliminated, and their votes go to their supporters' second choices.
This is why the san francisco mayor candidates spent so much time attacking each other's "number two" status. In the final rounds, Lurie was the ultimate "consensus" pick. He was the guy that Farrell supporters could live with and even some Breed supporters found acceptable as a backup.
The Issues That Sank (and Saved) Campaigns
You can't talk about these candidates without talking about the "doom loop." That's the phrase every national news outlet loves to use when describing SF's empty offices and shuttered stores.
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- Public Safety: This was #1. If a candidate didn't have a plan for the Tenderloin, they didn't have a campaign. Lurie’s "Reset Centers" and his push for a fully staffed police department hit the right notes for a city that felt on edge.
- The Fentanyl Crisis: Mark Farrell’s "clear the streets" approach was polarizing, but it forced everyone else to get tougher. Even London Breed started moving more aggressively on encampments toward the end of her term.
- Housing: This is the eternal SF struggle. Peskin focused on renter protections, while Lurie and Farrell pushed for streamlining the insane permitting process.
Where Are They Now?
It’s January 2026. Daniel Lurie is currently trying to merge the Planning Department and the Building Inspection department into one giant "PermitSF" organization. He’s also pushing a $535 million bond for earthquake safety.
London Breed has mostly kept a low profile since leaving City Hall, though there’s always rumors of a Sacramento run. Aaron Peskin is still presiding over the Board of Supervisors, acting as the primary check on Lurie’s power. It’s the same old San Francisco dance, just with different people leading.
Actionable Insights for the Next Cycle
If you’re a resident trying to make sense of the local political machine, or maybe you’re thinking of getting involved, here’s the reality:
- Watch the Charter Reform: Mayor Lurie is obsessed with the City Charter right now. He thinks it’s too long (550 pages!) and gives too much power to unelected commissions. If this goes to a ballot, it’ll change how the city is run for decades.
- Keep an eye on District Supervisors: The real power in SF often lies in the districts. The June 2026 primary will see some huge battles in District 2 and District 4. Whoever wins those will either be Lurie’s best friends or his worst nightmares.
- Don't ignore the "Invisible" Candidates: Every year, someone like Lurie comes out of nowhere. Start looking at the heads of major local nonprofits or tech leaders who are suddenly interested in "civic health."
The 2024 race for san francisco mayor candidates taught us one big thing: the "City That Knows How" was worried it had forgotten how. The 2026 and 2028 cycles will be the ultimate test of whether the new guy’s "common sense" approach actually puts more police on the street and more people in those empty downtown offices.