San Francisco mayor-elect touts ‘common sense’ approach after defeating progressive incumbent

Democratic San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie discussed on Tuesday his “common sense” approach in contrast to the progressive Mayor of London Breed, whom he defeated last week.

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

In an interview on Tuesday, CNN’s Erin Burnett asked Lurie if he considered his victory because he ran against “progressive” politics.

“I’m a lifelong Democrat, but we don’t think of ourselves as progressive or moderate or conservative here in San Francisco,” Lurie said. “We just want to get back to common sense. We have to implement the fundamentals and that is my plan. This is the mandate for which I was elected.”

San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie discussed his “common sense” approach to governing on CNN on Tuesday. (CNN screenshot)

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He added: “We have to make sure we have a fully staffed police department. We must take control of the behavioral health and drug crisis in our city. We need to make sure our small businesses can thrive. Our big business has to go back to San Francisco, I don’t believe that’s the right approach.

Burnett released footage of Lurie promoting and attacking events the city’s current approach crime and other issues.

“I want to be the candidate who prioritizes safety here in San Francisco. You can’t just advocate for public safety in an election year. We need more police focused on our hospitality so that our visitors, our shoppers, our tourists feel safe, Lurie said in the footage.

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

He continued to stress on CNN about the state of the city, reiterating that reducing crime and encouraging business growth are not partisan issues.

“I think people want results, but they don’t see it. There is nothing progressive about 806 people dying of drug overdoses in our city last year. Property crime is booming. Our small businesses struggle every day. They want a mayor This is the mandate I was voted for,” Lurie said.

He continued: “I don’t believe it’s anything more than… these are progressive values, so I understand that I’m speaking to a national audience. It is not liberal, progressive, conservative. People want to feel safe going down.” There have been so many instances of hatred against Asians on our streets.

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Breed’s defeat came at the same time as several major shifts in the state’s Republican Party, with nearly 40% of Californians voting for President-elect Donald Trump, after he scored just 34% and 31% in 2020 and 2016, respectively. The state also overwhelmingly supported efforts to repeal progressive policies, such as Proposition 36, which repealed previous crime-reducing policies.

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Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Witten and Ashley Pope contributed to this report.