Hilton extends lead over Becerra<\/p>\n
With close to 55% of the votes counted in the gubernatorial race, former Fox News host Steve Hilton, a Republican, extended his slender lead, with 27.6% (1.3 million votes). Former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is still in second place, with 25.5% (1.2 million), and Tom Steyer is in third with 19.6% (930,277). Chad Bianco is at 11.3%, and Katie Porter has 4.7%.<\/p>\n
Steyer: It\u2019s not over. Till it\u2019s over![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780477693_336_-S3840x2560-FPNG.png\"\/)
Gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer at his campaign watch party at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. | Source: Manuel Orbegozo for The Standard<\/p>\n
In a speech delivered to hundreds packed into gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer\u2019s election party, the billionaire progressive said it was too early for anyone to claim victory. However, Steyer was trailing as of 9:40 p.m., behind Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra, making his chances of clinching the second-place spot increasingly unlikely.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt might take some time to figure out where this is going,\u201d Steyer said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to wait until every ballot is counted. We\u2019re going to give democracy time to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014 Gabe Greschler<\/p>\n
Lurie\u2019s very good news night<\/p>\n
Standing outside Original Joe\u2019s, Mayor Daniel Lurie told a group of reporters that the early returns seem to show that voters are happy with the work he is doing at City Hall. \u201cThe early returns that we are seeing show that San Franciscans like the direction that we are going in. We are just getting started. We are going to continue to put our foot on the accelerator.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite opposing Measure D (the measure that would raise the Overpaid Executives Tax and change how it is calculated), Lurie conceded that its existence speaks to wealth inequality and the cost of living in San Francisco. \u201cThe affordability crisis is at the top of my agenda,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
With wins for both of his supported candidates in the supervisor races, Lurie has a lot to be pleased about. \u201cl appreciate the leadership of supervisors Alan Wong and Stephen Sherrill,\u201d he said, pointing to their wins as a stamp of approval for his \u201cresults-driven\u201d agenda.<\/p>\n
(Read more<\/a> about Lurie\u2019s electoral grand slam.)<\/p>\n \u2014 Jonah Lamb<\/p>\n Two parties, two scenes, one winner<\/p>\n The two parties were a block apart. That was the only thing they had in common.<\/p>\n District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill\u2019s supporters \u2014 among them Supervisors Bilal Mahmood and Rafael Mandelman \u2014 gathered at modern Mexican cantina Lobalita. Challenger Lori Brooke\u2019s party filled CC\u2019s Cocktail Lounge, a Marina dive around the corner. Sherrill\u2019s served carefully constructed mini tacos in crunchy shells, while Brooke\u2019s had pizza and a jukebox.<\/p>\n Sherrill, appointed as supervisor in December 2024 by then-Mayor London Breed, ran as the steady hand backed by Mayor Daniel Lurie. Four political action committees lined up behind him with a combined $1 million.<\/p>\n As Sherrill\u2019s party began, Kath Tsakalakis nursed a margarita at the bar. She usually stays away from election parties, but she\u2019d made an exception for Sherrill. Three Marina bros in jeans and button-downs stood nearby. One said he vowed his support after Sherrill knocked on his apartment door and seemed chill. <\/p>\n Early results showed Sherrill had crushed the competition. \u201cSeventy-one percent, baby,\u201d one supporter exclaimed.<\/p>\n Down the block at CC\u2019s, the mood was less jubilant. Brooke took the stage and acknowledged the early returns. Even so, she said, \u201cthere is food, there is drink, there is joy.\u201d <\/p>\n In an interview, Brooke said she was happy with the campaign, even though victory was unlikely. Sherrill is a good guy, she said, and she expects to work with him in good faith. But she thinks he has bigger ambitions and was handed the job on a \u201csilver spoon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the machine,\u201d she said. Pointing to the crowd at CC\u2019s, she noted, \u201cThis is not the machine. These are everyday people who deeply care about the neighborhood. I do this when nobody is looking.\u201d<\/p>\n Peskin-banning Prop. B looks like a yes<\/p>\n Prop. B, which would set lifetime term limits for the San Francisco mayor and members of the Board of Supervisors, appears likely to pass. If it does, then officials may not serve more than two four-year terms in those roles.<\/p>\n The measure was seen as targeting former Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who is the only person who has returned to office in San Francisco after serving the maximum allowed two consecutive terms.<\/p>\n Wiener-hating TERFs?<\/p>\n The attendees of proud \u201cactual moderate<\/a>\u201d Marie Hurabiell\u2019s election party would like a word with Scott Wiener. And it won\u2019t be a kind one.<\/p>\n A dark-horse candidate to succeed Nancy Pelosi in Congress, Hurabiell summoned a slim contingent of politically active San Franciscans to her cause: the trans-exclusionary radical feminists. Her campaign events manager, Julie Lane, is the president of SF TERF Central and was in plentiful company at the party. Cut-out paper letters on the wall read \u201cHot girls for Marie.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cScott Wiener\u2019s our nemesis,\u201d Lane said. \u201cMarie\u2019s been the only person to talk about this, and the media\u2019s shut her out.\u201d<\/p>\n Her issues with Wiener aren\u2019t just about trans politics. But they are mostly about trans politics.<\/p>\n Hurabiell joined the race less than 100 days ago, entering a field crowded with progressives whose odds were much better going into Election Day. <\/p>\n Not that they were one-issue voters. A big cheer swept the Hurabiell crowd as monitors showed Prop. D, the Overpaid CEO Tax, failing. They were followed by groans as NBC Bay Area showed a graphic with the three front-runners \u2014 and no room for Hurabiell.<\/p>\n For governor, most of the attendees seemed to have gone Hilton or Mahan. \u201cI want to see a political earthquake in San Francisco,\u201d said Charlotte, a lifelong San Franciscan.<\/p>\n Hurabiell was trailing badly in fifth place with 29% of the vote counted at 9:45 p.m. She didn\u2019t seem to have noticed and had no plans for a concession speech. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m feeling amazing, I\u2019m feeling totally energized, super excited,\u201d she said an hour and a half after polls closed at 9:30 p.m. \u201cI\u2019m still planning on winning this, and if I don\u2019t, I\u2019ll be running again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014Jessica Blough<\/p>\n Hilton holds slender lead with 50% votes counted<\/p>\n With close to 50% of the votes counted in the gubernatorial race, former Fox News host Steve Hilton, a Republican, holds a slender lead, with 26.7% (1.08 million votes). Former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is still in second place, with 25.9% (1.05 million), and Tom Steyer is in third with 19.7% (798,610). Chad Bianco is at 11.2%, and Katie Porter has 5%.<\/p>\n Sherrill and Wong coast to victory in supervisor races Incumbent supervisors Stephen Sherrill in District 2 and Alan Wong in District 4 are both defending their seats in special elections. The outcomes could determine whether Mayor Daniel Lurie keeps control of the moderate-leaning Board of Supervisors. <\/p>\n After two rounds of voting, the results are good news for Lurie. In District 2, Sherrill is at 71.08% (6,251), and Lori Brooke is at 28.92% (2,543). In District 4, Alan Wong is at 72.32% (6,648), and Natalie Gee is at 27.68% (2,545).<\/p>\n Early returns put Wiener and Chan ahead\u00a0<\/p>\n In the first election results from San Francisco, Scott Wiener and Connie Chan have pulled ahead of the competition in the race to succeed Rep. Nancy Pelosi.\u00a0<\/p>\n Saikat Chakrabarti, who largely self-funded his campaign and portrayed himself as an outsider candidate, has about 14% of the vote, versus 30% for second-place Chan.\u00a0<\/p>\n Wiener is comfortably ahead and looks likely to sail his way into the general election.\u00a0<\/p>\n Both of SF\u2019s dueling tax measures are failing<\/p>\n It looks like both of the San Francisco measures competing in a labor-versus-business proxy battle<\/a> are falling far short of the simple-majority threshold needed to pass. <\/p>\n Prop. C, which would lower business taxes, is failing in early returns (opens in new tab)<\/a>, with nearly 64% voting against it. Prop. D is hovering close to a 57% \u201cno\u201d vote. <\/p>\n At a dinner table laden with wine glasses and paper plates, canvassers Julia Toscano and Cynthia Bueno tucked into sausage pizza and Caesar salad.<\/p>\n Toscano, campaign codirector for the San Francisco Living Wage Coalition, described Prop. D as a \u201clifeline to help solve our city\u2019s budget crisis,\u201d adding that the extra tax revenue would make it easier to argue against city job cuts.<\/p>\n \u201cOur challenge was just informing people,\u201d Toscano said.<\/p>\n But despite canvassers\u2019 efforts, early turnout is abysmally low \u2014 a bad sign for proponents of populist measures.<\/p>\n Matt Mahan campaign looks like a wrap Before results had even settled in, Matt Mahan seemed to be conceding defeat. At roughly 8:20 p.m., the 43-year-old first-term mayor all but gave up his short-lived but well-funded race for governor in front of hundreds of supporters at San Jose\u2019s Three Sisters Whiskey Bar.<\/p>\n Joined behind the podium by his three children (\u201cOK, get off the stage, boys,\u201d he said to the two little ones as they tussled at his side), Mahan touted his accomplishments running the Bay Area\u2019s largest city.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile our campaign for governor ends tonight, our mission has only just begun,\u201d he said. \u201cWe will take tonight to celebrate all we have accomplished, but we will be back to work tomorrow.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd please know this will not be the last time I will ask you to come together to fight for a better California,\u201d he added to cheers. \u201cBecause we are just getting started!\u201d<\/p>\n His wife, Silvia Scandar Mahan, seemed eager to point fingers for the pending defeat, singling out competitors who \u201cspent many hundreds of millions to buy their place in the race\u201d (a none-too-subtle shot at Tom Steyer). She also voiced the fear among Democrats that two Republicans would make it to the runoff and hand-waved at her husband\u2019s late entry to the race.<\/p>\n \u201cRemember,\u201d she said, in a sort of reverse campaign slogan, \u201cwe got in late, but we did great!\u201d<\/p>\n The vibes were surprisingly high for a room of people who knew they were about to lose. Campaign staff sporting \u201cGetting California back to basics\u201d T-shirts, volunteers, supporters, and a surprising amount of children packed Three Sisters, which was wallpapered for the night in blue and green \u201cMatt Mahan for governor\u201d signs. An upbeat soundtrack of oldies and top 40 played over the din of slightly drunken conversation \u2014 including, perhaps wishfully, \u201cWe Can\u2019t Stop,\u201d by Miley Cyrus.<\/p>\n \u2014Emily Shugerman<\/p>\n Swalwell still manages more than 10K votes<\/p>\n Despite a sexual misconduct scandal that booted him from Congress and his position as the front-runner in the gubernatorial race, Eric Swalwell has managed to pick up more than 10,000 votes.<\/p>\n Saikat enters the Chapel Congressional hopeful Saikat Chakrabarti held court for a gaggle of reporters on the balcony of the Chapel \u2014 a position usually reserved for head-bobbers \u2014 as supporters flooded into the venue for his election-night party. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m feeling really good,\u201d Chakrabarti told The Standard. \u201cThe last polling we had was several weeks ago, and since then a lot has changed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014 Sam Mondros<\/p>\n Wiener wins Ned Segal\u2019s mom\u2019s vote<\/p>\n Lynne Newhouse Segal rushed into state Sen. Scott Wiener\u2019s Castro campaign headquarters about 30 minutes before the election-night party had officially started to leave him a note of encouragement. She told staff that she was nervous about the race.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve known Scott for a long time,\u201d said Segal, mother of Ned Segal, Mayor Daniel Lurie\u2019s chief of housing and economic policy. \u201cHe\u2019s so smart, so honest, so hardworking.\u201d<\/p>\n Segal said she was concerned with the amount of \u201cvery negative things\u201d she had heard in the race, alluding to mailers sent by Saikat Chakrabarti\u2019s campaign criticizing Wiener\u2019s position on Israel\u2019s war in Gaza.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of dog-whistle stuff I\u2019ve gotten in the mail that is very antisemitic. Very NIMBY,\u201d she said. She added that \u201call the good things\u201d about Wiener have been used against him.<\/p>\n Overpaid CEOs not welcome At The Rustic, a candle-lit Cal-Ital restaurant in the Castro, the ambiance for the Prop. D party was pink-chic. But as of 7:25 p.m., there were no guests \u2014 only journalists. A sign on a pink phone booth read, \u201cYes on D! Protect care, not corporate greed.\u201d More signage: \u201cConnie Chan for Congress\u201d placards in English and Spanish, featuring a picture of the smiling supervisor, were strewn across the square wooden tables.<\/p>\n Scott Mann, communications director for Yes on D, the Overpaid CEO Tax, said the campaign was optimistic.<\/p>\n Have thoughts on this story?Start the conversation<\/p>\n \u201cOur early polling showed that voters were really receptive,\u201d he said, adding that hundreds had canvassed for the tax on businesses whose top executives are paid much more than their low-level employees.<\/p>\n Revenue from the tax, which would go into San Francisco\u2019s general fund, could fill gaps left by Medicaid and SNAP cuts.<\/p>\n One of the measure\u2019s biggest backers, Supervisor Chan, arrived around 7:45, and the TV reporters pounced. Looking on, Mann praised the congressional hopeful.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s been a champion for San Francisco and the programs and services everyone relies on,\u201d Mann said, adding that she also understands city budgets.<\/p>\n In an interview, Chan was quick to rebut a recent claim that she was accepting AIPAC money: \u201cIt\u2019s a desperate last-minute attempt to smear our campaign.\u201d She also rolled out a stinger against her opponent, Saikat Chakrabarti: \u201cIt\u2019s an election, not an auction.\u201d<\/p>\n In discussing Prop. D, she contextualized the measure within a nationwide swell of progressive taxation efforts. \u201cIt\u2019s no longer just a San Francisco conversation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She added that when the Overpaid CEO Tax passed in 2022, it was projected to generate $60 million in its first year, but ended up generating $206 million by the end of 2023. <\/p>\n It\u2019s one of the reasons she expects voters \u2014 including small business owners who want to see profit-maxxing corporations pay their fair share \u2014 to pass Prop. D.<\/p>\n \u2014Max Harrison-Caldwell<\/p>\n Sunset supe hopeful\u2019s stroll-n-troll Coincidence or masterful trolling? Minutes before polls closed at 8 p.m., Sunset supervisor candidate Natalie Gee just happened to be campaigning at 19th Avenue and Irving Street \u2014 right next to incumbent Supervisor Alan Wong\u2019s campaign headquarters. She gamely waved into the office. Wong was not there.<\/p>\n Steyer is crushing the appetizers, at least<\/p>\n Tom Steyer has spent roughly $220 million of his own money on his campaign to be California\u2019s governor.\u00a0<\/p>\n We\u2019re not sure yet how that might translate into votes, but he admittedly has a pretty fancy spread at his party at the Regency Ballroom on Van Ness Avenue. Steyer is the only major gubernatorial candidate to hold a main election-night party in San Francisco.\u00a0<\/p>\n Black linen is draped over the tables, and the offerings include bowls of strawberries and plates of black bean empanadas, chicken salad sliders, and a charcuterie board fit to impress a Midwest grandmother on Thanksgiving. Other bites include olive oil crostinis, antipasto skewers, and sesame noodle salad.<\/p>\n Since it is going to be a long night, there\u2019s espresso on tap: Onyx Coffee Lab\u2019s Monarch dark roast, known for its dark chocolate and molasses undertones.<\/p>\n Supervisor Connie Chan has Election Day jitters.<\/p>\n No, not because she\u2019s nervous about her chances. In fact, she\u2019s pretty confident that with the wind at her back the last few weeks, she\u2019ll be getting good news. She arrived at Original Joe\u2019s to shake hands with the firefighters pushing for the earthquake bond, Prop. A, in her first stop of the night. She was all smiles. <\/p>\n \u201cPeople have been literally counting us out since Day One,\u201d Chan said. \u201cThey said, \u2018You didn\u2019t raise enough money.\u2019 They said I wasn\u2019t top of the polls.\u201d<\/p>\n Her team, and the labor movement behind her, didn\u2019t give a damn.<\/p>\n \u201cThey didn\u2019t give up,\u201d she said. \u201cI think we\u2019re gonna see that in the results tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n But Chan is still feeling the nerves, she said. To center herself, she treated it like any other day. <\/p>\n She woke up and got breakfast for her family \u2014 yogurt and boiled eggs. She saw her 12-year-old son off to school. Between campaigning, she even attended City Hall meetings, just like any other Tuesday.<\/p>\n Of course, this isn\u2019t any other Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u2014 Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez<\/p>\n Nate Silver on California vote-counting: Oh, yikes<\/p>\n Earlier (see below), we posted about how voters will need to be patient, given the time it will take for California (and San Francisco) to count votes. (We\u2019re talking days.) Nate Silver, the statistician and forecaster who built his reputation predicting baseball outcomes and then politics at FiveThirtyEight, has some views on this. Strong, failed-state kind of views.<\/p>\n Low turnout has Prop. A backers sweating<\/p>\n Only a dozen souls hovered at the Prop. A party around 7 p.m. in the back room of Original Joe\u2019s in North Beach. The mood was pensive, at least as the event kicked off, for the firefighters and their allies who\u2019d marched hundreds of city blocks to convince voters to pass the earthquake safety and emergency response bond, which would allow the city to borrow $535 million to fund the repair and expansion of water networks on the west side, among other infrastructure needs.<\/p>\n Early low turnout is casting a pall for the measure\u2019s supporters. Just under 103,000 voters, roughly 20%, had turned in their ballots as of Election Day. Conservative, anti-funding-measure voters dominate low-turnout elections, or so the political wisdom goes.<\/p>\n \u201cSomber\u201d may not be the right word, but in the first hours, it sure wasn\u2019t a party.<\/p>\n Mario Flaherty, secretary at Firefighters Union Local 798, knocked doors for more than a dozen days alongside fellow firefighters in an effort to get Prop. A passed. His crews are the ones who know the importance of firefighting infrastructure.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a little disappointing, I suppose,\u201d Flaherty said of the voter turnout. \u201cEveryone always says every vote is important. Every time you go to a ballot box, this is important. But this is actually extremely important, because we have a lot of change going on right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Insiders have speculated that voters are holding onto their ballots to see which two Democrats are best placed to go forward in the gubernatorial primary. If that wisdom holds, a flood of votes will arrive tonight, and the firefighters will feel lucky indeed.<\/p>\n \u2014 Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez<\/p>\n In Compton, Maxine Waters picks a fight with Dr. Dre<\/p>\n While San Francisco has plenty of election-night intrigue, nothing quite matches the celebrity clash brewing 400 miles south, in Compton, where 87-year-old Rep. Maxine Waters \u2014 the South L.A. institution who has held her House seat for nearly four decades and made a second career going viral while dressing down Trump officials on Capitol Hill \u2014 has picked a fight with Dr. Dre. <\/p>\n The Compton-born rap mogul, Death Row Records cofounder, and Beats by Dre billionaire has been quietly pouring money into local schools for years. He and Waters are on opposite sides of a ballot measure to tear down and rebuild a decrepit local high school that has been without a permanent cafeteria for three years. Waters\u2019 slate mailer \u2014 a decades-old political institution in South L.A. \u2014 urged voters to reject the bond, with no explanation offered. When a reporter caught up with her at a Sunday rally, she wouldn\u2019t say why. A statement she promised for Monday never arrived. The new digital news site L.A. Material has the juice. (opens in new tab)<\/a><\/p>\n National Review to California: You\u2019re cooked either way<\/p>\n Conservative magazine site National Review (a staunch Never Trump outfit in 2016 that later largely made its peace with the president) has weighed in on the California gubernatorial debate. And it\u2019s not holding back (opens in new tab)<\/a>. Of Xavier Becerra, its editors say, \u201cHe would not make anything in California better, but might not make things much worse.\u201d Tom Steyer, on the other hand? Ouch. \u201cGovernor Newsom is plenty awful, and his successor, whoever it is, will be too. But if you think California politics can\u2019t get any more deranged, give Tom Steyer a chance to prove you wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n Better late than never<\/p>\n It took Rep. Nancy Pelosi a long time to enter the fray and endorse one of those hoping to succeed her in Washington. But since endorsing Connie Chan two weeks ago, Pelosi has gone all-in. And there was no letting up Tuesday as she posted her support, again, on X. <\/p>\n If Chan gets over the line as one of the top two, it\u2019ll likely be Pelosi\u2019s late support that made the difference.<\/p>\n What do prediction markets tell us?<\/p>\n In California\u2019s nonpartisan primary for governor, three candidates have consistently polled at the top: Democrats Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer and Republican Steve Hilton. But what do prediction markets say about who people think will advance to the runoff? <\/p>\n As of Tuesday, Becerra\u2019s odds of placing first in the primary hovered around 77% on both Polymarket and Kalshi (opens in new tab)<\/a>. Hilton stood at 15% and 16% on Polymarket and Kalshi, respectively, while Steyer was at 9% and 11%.<\/p>\n While Kalshi and Polymarket like to position themselves as a way to make educated guesses about what may happen, it\u2019s important to remember that they\u2019re vulnerable to manipulation. A single trader could flood thousands of dollars into one outcome and skew the forecast in favor of a certain candidate. For example, Kalshi this year 86\u2019d major Democratic donor Stephen Cloobeck (opens in new tab)<\/a> for trying to place a sizable bet on his buddy Eric Swalwell. <\/p>\n Also problematic is the fact that at least one prediction market is betting on a candidate for whom it\u2019s hosting a market. Just days ahead of the election, Kalshi chipped in nearly $40,000 to Becerra\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n Conflict of interest? Probably. <\/p>\n \u2014 Jennifer Wadsworth<\/p>\n Not exactly winning energy<\/p>\n In a short video posted to X, Saikat Chakrabarti wrapped up his campaign for outgoing Rep. Nancy Pelosi\u2019s seat by reflecting on what his team of volunteers has achieved over the last eight months. But the opening line of his post, \u201cNo matter what the result is tonight,\u201d isn\u2019t exactly giving off winning energy. Our reporter Sam Mondros will be at Chakrabarti\u2019s election-night party to check out the mood when\u00a0the results come\u00a0in.<\/p>\n California\u2019s gubernatorial race: The New Yorker has views <\/p>\n Nathan Heller, who frequently writes about the Bay Area for The New Yorker, has just weighed in (opens in new tab)<\/a>, and it does not make for pleasant reading for Democrats. \u201cWhat happened to make this \u2014 the second most powerful executive job in the country \u2014 such a vacuum?\u201d he asks. \u201cWhy was it so unappealing to the most obvious candidates, and why wasn\u2019t the pipeline behind those people better?\u201d<\/p>\n If the race, described variously as a \u201chot mess (opens in new tab)<\/a>\u201d (The New York Times) and \u201cbizarre (opens in new tab)<\/a>\u201d (The Washington Post), is a barometer of the Democrats\u2019 national ambitions, then the party should be worried, Heller says. \u201cCalifornia is a kind of crystal ball for American liberalism more than many people realize. And it\u2019s one of the power centers of the Democratic Party. So, yes, it\u2019s more broadly concerning that things appear to be a little haywire there.\u201d<\/p>\n Furry support for the school board race Virginia Cheung was hovering outside City Hall and \u2014 as a school board candidate \u2014 had more to be excited about than most. She came armed with a personal \u201cfur brigade\u201d to help cast her vote: a malamute and a Pomeranian decked out in knit sweaters. Cheung said her mind was already on her election-night party at El Rio.<\/p>\n Read Ezra Wallach\u2019s story<\/a> about SFUSD board member Phil Kim\u2019s first election as an incumbent against challengers Cheung and Brandee Marckmann. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014 Jessica Blough<\/p>\n An SF love story could make history in New Mexico<\/p>\n A race in New Mexico that might have a historic result has a romantic connection to San Francisco.<\/p>\n Deb Haaland, who was President Joe Biden\u2019s secretary of the interior, is running in New Mexico\u2019s Democratic primary for governor. If she wins, she will be the country\u2019s first Native American governor.<\/p>\n Her origin story includes a chapter from San Francisco. Her parents met while serving in the Navy at the station on Treasure Island.<\/p>\n Her father, Major Dutch Haaland, was in the Marine Corps for 30 years, while her mother, Mary Toya, served in the Navy before dedicating 25 years to education at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Their Bay romance produced a daughter who went on to oversee more than 480 million acres of American public land \u2014 including a good deal of it right back in San Francisco. (We\u2019re looking at you, Presidio and the rest of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.)<\/p>\n \u2014 George Kelly<\/p>\n When will we know? Be patient<\/p>\n California counts ballots slowly \u2014 expect only half the votes to be tallied by Wednesday morning. Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day can arrive up to a week later. Bear in mind that early returns skew Republican this cycle, but late-counted ballots historically trend more Democratic, meaning that any leads tonight could flip. As a VoteHub data scientist says, it may be Wednesday evening before statewide races become clear; it depends on how close the races are.<\/p>\n \u2018I wouldn\u2019t say I\u2019m excited\u2019: City Hall voters treat the election as a chore<\/p>\n Tim A. was among the trickle of voters going to cast a ballot in the basement of City Hall early Tuesday afternoon. But the stage manager at the Regency Ballroom was preoccupied with the party gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer would be throwing at his venue a few hours later. \u201cI\u2019ll be back in the green room,\u201d he said. \u201cUnless something goes wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n Like Tim, most City Hall voters treated their civic responsibility as an errand, rather than an occasion. Small groups shuffled into the basement, as brides and recent grads posed for photos in more charming parts of the building.<\/p>\n Clive Lovejoy got turned around at City Hall\u2019s entrance after security guards detected a paring knife buried deep in his backpack. \u201cI cut up a lot of fruit,\u201d he explained as he bounded back down the steps to bury the item in the grass outside for later retrieval. Voting this year is an obligation for Lovejoy. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say I\u2019m excited,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n A few at the polls mentioned that they\u2019re more invested in the propositions than the candidates. Mark Nystrom skateboarded over to City Hall and dropped his ballot in the drop box before chatting about Prop. D\u2019s Overpaid CEO Tax. Nystrom said he tries to vote in all elections, even when he was homeless. He\u2019s now in city-subsidized housing but worries about rising rents. Mayor Daniel Lurie\u2019s stance on Prop. D isn\u2019t encouraging when it comes to affordability, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have that guy in New York,\u201d he said, referring to Zohran Mamdani, his eyes lighting up. \u201cThen we have this guy here,\u201d he said, eyes rolling.<\/p>\n \u2014 Jessica Blough<\/p>\n Battle for the board<\/p>\n The balance of power on the Board of Supervisors could tip today. Moderates hold sway on the 11-member board, but that could change as two incumbents are tested in reelection campaigns. If they are knocked off, Mayor Daniel Lurie may not have the necessary support to push forward with his agenda in the second half of his term.<\/p>\n Supervisor Stephen Sherrill, who represents Cow Hollow, the Marina, and Pacific Heights, was appointed by former Mayor London Breed and has been an ally of Lurie. His bid to stay in office has been undermined by revelations in The Standard that Breed appointed him to bolster her chances of getting a job from Michael Bloomberg. Breed and Sherrill have denied the claims.<\/p>\n He\u2019s up against neighborhood activist Lori Brooke, who has criticized Lurie\u2019s upzoning policy, which could allow for a 25-story apartment tower<\/a> to be built above a Safeway in the Marina. Sherrill opposes the Safeway project but supports the overall rezoning policy.<\/p>\n The other key race is in the Sunset, where incumbent Alan Wong, whom Lurie appointed, faces four challengers. The neighborhood\u2019s defining public policy issue has been the status of the Great Highway. Wong, like most of the candidates, wants to reopen the roadway to traffic.<\/p>\n Read Han Li\u2019s article<\/a> in The Standard that further breaks down the race.<\/p>\n Wiener already getting to grips with GOP?<\/p>\n If state Sen. Scott Wiener makes it to Congress by taking Rep. Nancy Pelosi\u2019s seat, he can discuss a since-deleted X post from Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles up close and personal in Washington. Wiener reposted it on Election Day before Ogles deleted it. Maybe he was convinced to delete it by fellow Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, who told TMZ that Ogles\u2019 post was the work of \u201ca fucking idiot.\u201d Ogles\u2019 post in full: \u201cHomosexuality has no place in America. Happy Nuclear Family Month.\u201d<\/p>\n Life post-Pelosi<\/p>\n For the first time since 1987, Nancy Pelosi is not on the ballot to represent San Francisco in Congress. The former speaker of the House is retiring at the end of this term.<\/p>\n The odds-on favorite to win the primary for her seat is state Sen. Scott Wiener, based on polling. With Wiener, a moderate, in the dominant position, the real competition is for second place in the primary. Supervisor Connie Chan and Saikat Chakrabarti, a former aide to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, are vying for runner-up and thus Wiener\u2019s opponent in November.<\/p>\n Chan and Chakrabarti are both progressives. While Chan got the endorsement of Pelosi, Chakrabarti\u2019s old boss AOC has not given him her imprimatur. But he has the backing of other members of \u201cthe Squad,\u201d including Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar.<\/p>\n Chakrabarti, who made a fortune working at Stripe, has largely self-funded his $10 million campaign, while Chan has eschewed corporate donations and relied on $649,000 raised for the race.<\/p>\n Read <\/a>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez\u2019s detailed look<\/a> at the similarities and differences between Chan and Chakrabarti.<\/p>\n Trump, Vance back Hilton for California governor<\/p>\n Major Republican figures rolled out in support of California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton. President Donald Trump posted his early-morning support on Truth Social.<\/p>\n A few hours later, Vice President JD Vance joined in with an X post wishing Hilton luck.<\/p>\n The \u2018IDK\u2019 governor\u2019s race<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/-S3840x2561-FPNG.png\"\/)
Supporters of Scott Wiener cheer while he declares victory at his election watch party in San Francisco. | Source: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades\/The Standard<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780477696_755_-S3840x2560-FPNG.png\"\/)
Alan Wong campaigns on the intersection of 19th Avenue and Judah Street on Election Day. | Source: Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez for The Standard<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780477697_58_-S3840x2561-FPNG.png\"\/)
Wiener at his election-night party. | Source: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades\/The Standard<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/-S3840x2555-FPNG.png\"\/)
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan shakes hands with supporters after conceding minutes after the polls closed Tuesday. | Source: Pablo Unzueta for The Standard<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780477699_942_-S3840x2560-FPNG.png\"\/)
Saikat Chakrabarti arrives at The Chapel on Valencia Street. | Source: Giselle Garza Lerma for The Standard<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/-S3840x5120-FPNG.png\"\/)
The phone booth at the Prop. D watch party at The Rustic. | Source: Max Harrison-Caldwell\/The Standard<\/p>\n![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/-S3840x2880-FPNG.png\"\/)
Source: Han Li\/The Standard<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/-C100.00%x100.00%,0.00%,0.00%-S3840x6827-FPNG.png\"\/)
Tom Steyer\u2019s party spread. | Source: Alicia Cocchi\/The Standard\u2018They didn\u2019t give up\u2019<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780477705_786_-S3840x2880-FPNG.png\"\/)
San Francisco school board candidate Virginia Cheung brought the cuteness with her two-member \u201cfur brigade.\u201d | Source: Jessica Blough\/The Standard<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780477707_151_-S3840x2880-FPNG.png\"\/)
Clive Lovejoy was among the trickle heading into City Hall\u2019s basement to cast their ballots. | Source: Jessica Blough\/The Standard<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780477708_873_-S3840x2560-FPNG.png\"\/)
District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong campaigns Tuesday at 19th Avenue and Judah Street. | Source: Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez for The Standard<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780477708_815_-S3840x2561-FPNG.png\"\/)
Connie Chan and Rep. Nancy Pelosi at the North Beach Branch Library on May 29. | Amanda Andrade-Rhoades\/The Standard | Source: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades\/The Standard<\/p>\n
![\"Four](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/-S3840x2524-FPNG.png\"\/)
Democratic candidates, from left, Xavier Becerra, Katie Porter, Matt Mahan, and Antonio Villaraigosa at an April 28 debate at Pomona College. | Source: Mario Tama\/Getty Images<\/p>\n