The 2007 San Francisco mayoral election occurred on November 6, 2007. Voters elected a Mayor of San Francisco and several local officials. Incumbent Mayor Gavin Newsom was re-elected by an overwhelming margin. There were 12 candidates on the ballot as well as 6 write-ins.
Besides Newsom, other notable candidates included Josh Wolf, a journalist who was jailed for refusing to testify and turn over video evidence to a federal grand jury. Another candidate, "Chicken" John Rinaldi, qualified for public financing of his campaign but ran into procedural difficulties with San Francisco's Election Commission.
It was the first mayoral election in San Francisco history to use instant-runoff voting, also known as ranked-choice voting, so that there would be no need for a run-off, but a majority was reached in the first round and votes were not redistributed. The results of the election were not known for weeks because every ballot had to be hand-counted due to the long-running feud between the Elections Department of San Francisco and the California Secretary of State.[1]
The city's high homicide rate might also hurt Newsom during the campaign. A national survey gives San Francisco low marks for public safety.[2] Indeed, San Francisco ranked well below both Los Angeles and New York City.
Homelessness and transportation issues from previous years remain relevant. Public perception of the mayor's "Care, Not Cash" program (which reduces welfare payments in favor of long-term subsidized housing) will likely inform the debate.
On February 1, 2007, Newsom admitted to having an affair with his campaign manager's wife, who was working in City Hall. Newsom later apologized about the scandal.[3]
Municipal elections in California are officially non-partisan, though most candidates in San Francisco do receive funding and support from various political parties.
