Tuesday's results tightened Mayor Daniel Lurie's grip on City Hall, The San Francisco Standard reported. Nearly all of his ballot measures and preferred candidates were in comfortable leads, following his strong showing in June.
His charter measures, Props D, E and F, were winning. On election night Mission Local reported Prop D, which makes it harder to put measures on the ballot, leading 58% to 42%. Prop E, giving the city administrator power to reform contracting, led 67% to 33%. Prop F, giving the mayor sole power to hire and fire certain department heads, led 63% to 37%. Mission Local called the package the biggest change to city governance since 1996.
Money played a big role. Mission Local reported that the measures were backed by nearly $14 million from Lurie's allies, including venture capitalist Michael Moritz and cryptocurrency billionaire Chris Larsen. Labor groups and nonprofits raised just $745,000 to fight Prop D. The Standard put the charter campaign's haul at $13.8 million.
San Francisco State political science professor Jason McDaniel told the Standard that the wins could clear Lurie's path to a second term in 2028. "In politics, people like a winner, so I do think this probably signals to people not to challenge him," he said. McDaniel argued the measures were "crafted in a way that did not create a lot of opposition."
The one blemish, the Standard said, was District 8, where progressive Gary McCoy won after Lurie's endorsed candidate, Manny Yekutiel, dropped out. University of San Francisco professor Keally McBride said that with more power, the "ball is now in his court" to deliver results.
Vote counts cited here are unofficial. Bay Area counties are still processing mail and provisional ballots, and results are not certified until later this month, so margins can change.