I don't know about you, but I think that the D10 Democratic clubs and the larger DCCC have given us quite a lot to think about.
Democratic Club endorsements range from one for (Potrero Hill resident) Tony Kelly by the Potrero Hill DC, to one for (Bayview resident) Lynette Sweet by the Bayview Hunters Point DC, to one for Malia Cohen by the African American DC, to one for DeWitt Lacy by the SFDCCC.
The question is, do voters pay much attention to these endorsements? If the answer is 'yes', then I think that the Potrero Hill endorsement is the key one to look at, as Potrero Hill is where the majority of the people who actually vote in D10 live. Personally, I'm not so sure how strongly endorsements play into things here.
If in-district money raised is a factor, then Tony Kelly is looking pretty good right now. He has raised more money from D10 voters (albeit ALL from 94107) than any other candidate. Somewhat surprisingly, Marlene Tran is #2 on the D10 money haul, though the majority of her money comes from her base in 94134 (Vis Valley). Lynette Sweet and Kristine Enea come in next, with Enea #1 in fundraising from 94124 (Bayview). Cohen and Lacy have done an abysmal job in raising funds from within the district, although Cohen's second place to Steve Moss at the top of the public funds disbursement list speaks to the heap o' cash she's raked in from outside the district. Lacy, on the other hand, hasn't raised ANY money since June, and only $745 since the beginning of the year!! How is he funding his campaign without money, and why would DCCC pick someone who has no money or apparent desire to run a campaign? Is this all an elaborate plot?
OK, there's something fishy here...
I'll look into the money issue more in a later post, but in the end, no one candidate has sewn up all the endorsements, and as it was before, this race could still be considered to be wide open. Those who've gotten an endorsement have a gust of wind at their backs, and those without will just have to work a little harder to be heard above the white noise generated by the ten or fifteen 'me too' candidates.
Not all endorsements are equal. I think it depends on a DC's good standing within the community, as well as the number of members in that DC. Also, whether that DC endorses only one candidate, or several. Kelly's PHDC endorsement will be far more influential than the BHPDC's endorsement of three candidates, for example.
ReplyDeleteHow about some commentary on what these candidates do when they're not chasing endorsements? Lacy is a civil rights attorney, for example - why isn't he involved with the Vis Valley gang injunctions along with Isaac Bowers, who isn't even in the race any more? Tony Kelly talks big about the Shipyard but where was he when the plans were being drawn up? Anyone can give good soundbite in an endorsement interview or stack the room on voting night. The real test is what you do and say when no one's looking.
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