Billionaires Successfully Bought the District 5 Supervisor Race
Dean Preston conceded the race for District 5 Supervisor to Bilal Mahmood. Preston was backed by a grassroots campaign supported by unions, tenant groups, and even national leaders like Nancy Pelosi and Bernie Sanders, while Mahmood was backed by astroturf groups and tech billionaires. District 5 includes the Tenderloin, Haight-Ashbury, and Western Addition. Mahmood won with 52.7% of the vote to Preston’s 47.3%. Mahmood campaigned on moderate fearmongering and YIMBY policies, while Preston stayed true to his values as a democratic socialist and an advocate for tenants and other groups.
This upsetting result shows us the power of billionaire and corporate money in politics, and why it must be restricted. Dark money was funneled into Mahmood’s campaign by the hundreds of thousands, while Preston refused corporate and billionaire money and almost won reelection with the help of a grassroots coalition. Many forces that are antagonistic to everyday San Franciscans coalesced to try to oust Preston, and they succeeded. Billionaires should not be able to buy our elections with money that is multiple times what the average San Franciscan will see in their life. Preston’s tenure as supervisor will be looked back on fondly, and the policies he fought for still help San Franciscans every day.
Benjamin Fanjoy / Special to the Chronicle
Supervisor Dean Preston loses to Bilal Mahmood in S.F.’s District 5 supervisor race
By Aldo Toledo | SF Chronicle | November 11th, 2024