SF Democrats Move to Endorse Gary McCoy for District 8 Supervisor
The San Francisco Democratic Party is officially rescinding its endorsement of Manny Yekutiel for District 8 Supervisor, throwing its support instead behind Gary McCoy.
Yekutiel, a small business owner and political organizer, was considered the frontrunner in the election for District 8, which is currently represented by Rafael Mandelmann. But after several men accused Yekutiel of sexual assault, he dropped out of the race. In July, community organizer Brad Chapin initially accused Yekutiel of groping him, and two people came forward with similar allegations earlier this month.
The city’s Democratic Party held a virtual emergency meeting on Sunday, where it voted 29-0 to officially rescind its endorsement of Yekutiel.
In August, the local party faced backlash for voting to endorse Yekutiel — on the same day that it also announced the investigation into Chapin’s allegations had concluded. An ombudsperson who reviewed the complaint against Yekutiel said that no judgment could be made about whether the alleged incident occurred.
But many of Yekutiel’s supporters, including Mayor Daniel Lurie, pulled their endorsements when the additional allegations surfaced earlier this month, which prompted calls from members of the Democratic Party for Chair Nancy Tung to resign immediately.
After nearly two hours of public comment, Tung addressed those calling for her resignation.
“The calls for my resignation will surely ensure that nothing ever gets done,” Tung said, “No other politician, no other person on this body, or anyone else will decide to take on this very messy problem.”
Tung referenced the failure of the organization’s 2024 framework to address sexual assault allegations.
After apologizing to Chapin, Tung declared she would not resign.
“If people do not want me to represent them as a Democrat in the leadership on the ‘D Triple C,’ I’m sure that I’ll be voted out,” Tung said, “But for now, I’m committed to remaining chair.”
Tung said she will continue to improve the organization’s policy on addressing sexual assault allegations and work with survivors.
McCoy, a former aide to Nancy Pelosi, Scott Wiener and London Breed, saw a 20-0 vote on Sunday evening for his endorsement. He told KQED he’s honored to receive the endorsement of the city’s Democratic Party and that “It’s also my hope that this marks the start of increased accountability for the party.”
McCoy will face off against Michael Nguyen and Darshini Patel in the upcoming Nov. 3 election.