San Francisco mayor-elect taps ‘common sense’ after slamming progressive incumbent

San Francisco’s Democratic Mayor Daniel Lurie discussed his “common sense” approach Tuesday in contrast to progressive Mayor London Breed, whom he defeated last week.

Lurie, a first-time candidate, Levi Strauss heir and founder of an anti-poverty nonprofit, positioned himself as a tough-on-crime alternative to Breed’s lax policies on theft, drug use and homelessness plaguing the city. He went on to beat Breed by more than 10 points last week.

In an interview Tuesday, CNN’s Erin Burnett asked Lurie if he credits his victory for opposing “progressive” politics.

“I’m a lifelong Democrat, but we don’t think of ourselves as progressive or moderate or active here in San Francisco,” Lurie said. “We just want to get back to the mindset. We have to deliver the basics, and that’s my plan. That’s what I’ve been sent to accomplish.”

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He added, “We need to make sure we have a fully staffed police department. We need to control our health and the drug problem in our city. We need to make sure our small businesses thrive. Our big businesses need us to come back to San Francisco. We need to be open for business and I don’t believe that’s the way to go.” direct.

Burnett aired videos of Lurie’s commercials and events in which he appeared to attack the city’s approach to crime and other problems.

“I want to be a candidate who puts safety first here in San Francisco. You can’t just be public safety in an election year. We need more police officers focused on our hospitality so that our conventioneers, our shoppers, our visitors feel safe,” Lurie said in the video.

Daniel Lurie defeated incumbent San Francisco Mayor London Breed in the city’s mayoral race. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AP/Jeff Chiu)

He went on to announce the state of the city on CNN, reiterating that reducing crime and encouraging business growth are not side issues.

“I think people want results, but they didn’t see that. There is nothing going on with the death of 806 people in our city last week. Property crime is rampant. Our small businesses are struggling day by day. They want a mayor that focuses on delivering results, that’s the mandate I was voted for,” said Lurie.

He continued, “I don’t believe that’s more than that – those are values ​​that continue, so I understand that I’m speaking to a national audience here. This is not liberal, progressive, conservative. People want to feel safe when they walk down the street. We’ve had a lot of cases of Asian hate in the streets our.

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Breed’s defeat came along with several key GOP shifts within the state, roughly 40% of Californians voted for President-elect Donald Trump, after he received only 34% and 31% in 2020 and 2016, respectively. The state also heavily supported efforts to repeal progressive policies such as Proposition 36, which rolled back previous anti-crime policies.