This isn’t the outcome we wanted. I wanted to win this seat, and I know how much so many of you gave to help us get there. Earlier this week, a supporter thanked me for a “dose of political optimism,” for bringing transparency and trust into a race when they weren’t sure either was still possible. I keep coming back to that, because it’s why I ran in the first place — and getting this far, despite the odds, has given me more faith in what we can do together.
It feels surreal to think about where we started. My platform began as an idea between two girlfriends frustrated with the status quo. We spent weekends talking with neighbors, and I spent nights buried in policy research or hunkered at the back of the Dubliner, teaching myself to build a website. A friend’s home became our temporary office. We launched in April to plenty of insider side-eye and were still coming together in July, but by October we were a very real contender in a very unexpected race.
We had the smallest budget, the least time, and the fewest endorsements. Outside groups spent more than half a million dollars supporting Gary, nearly eight times what was spent supporting me. We didn’t send campaign mailers; our team and volunteers walked our literature to people’s doors.
The conversations at those doors left me more convinced that we want many of the same things here: a home we can afford, a bus we can count on, a city that follows through. People are tired of the infighting. They want to be heard, and they want to know what we’ll actually do. I’m proud of the debate I called on the SFDCCC to host, allowing voters to hear from us directly and make up their own minds.
More than anything, I’m proud of my team and our volunteers: the first ones, who showed up when there was barely anything to show up to, the friends who became staff, and my rockstar organizers that strangers couldn’t help but tell me about. Their median age is 25!
To my field team and every volunteer: you built a community that kept bringing more people into this campaign. More than ten thousand voters ranked me ahead of the establishment choice, and our strongest results came in the neighborhoods where we knocked the most. What you accomplished with so little time and money has only deepened my belief in field — and in what happens when people feel part of something worth building. I hope you carry that knowledge of your own ability into everything you do next. Being your candidate has been such a privilege.
In college, my roommate and I blasted the same song before every exam, and I can’t help but think about it now. In the wise words of Miley Cyrus, “Ain’t about how fast I get there. Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side. It’s the climb.”
Some of what we faced was older than this campaign. I was told to move into a different district, that a vote for a woman would be wasted, and that this race was decided long before it started. I ran anyway, and I would make that choice again tomorrow. I hope the next woman who runs here gets exactly as much scrutiny as the men she runs against, and not one question more.
Our team built this campaign without political consultants or outside firms to hand the hard calls to. The wins were theirs; the mistakes were mine, and I made plenty. I wrote about the one that most hurt the people who trusted me. Taking that trust seriously means listening and learning in public, and I promise to keep doing that.
I’d also love for us to put down the knife and step out of the phone booth. We can disagree fiercely without making politics so miserable that strong candidates decide it’s not worth getting involved. Too many clubs, committees, and elected officials – both progressive and moderate – praised this campaign, then backed the person they expected to win. I hope the next first-time candidate who shows up in April with no machine and a lot of nerve gets more than kind words. By the next Valkyries playoff run, I hope we’re having a different conversation about who gets a real chance in this district.
Congratulations to Gary. I ranked him second because I’m hopeful about what he can accomplish, and I wish him every success in delivering for our neighbors.
As for me, you’ll still see me around District 8. I don’t know what’s next, but you can bet I’m excited to figure it out. This was never about one particular seat for me; there is work to do in this city I love, and now I know so many more people to do it with.
For now, celebrate what you did. We accomplished so much in just six months. Imagine what we can do from here.
Keep on moving, keep climbing. Keep the faith, baby.