We Asked San Franciscans
Remember when Mayor London Breed endorsed Michael Bloomberg — you know, the NYC billionaire who supported stop and frisk and reportedly told women at a male colleague’s wedding to “line up to give him a blow job as a wedding present” — for president? Yeah, so do we. (Though it’s pretty clear as to why Breed did such a thing. Hint: Bloomberg donated millions on policies she supported.)
Breed’s constituents, unsurprisingly, couldn’t be leaning further from her endorsement. In light of California’s primary taking place today (go vote!), we canvassed San Franciscans on who they’re planning to vote for as the 2020 Democratic nominee and why. It wasn’t a huge shocker to find out that our residents are largely torn between progressives Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders. (We did get a couple people leaning toward former Vice President Joe Biden!) Perhaps if you’re undecided, hearing how fellow SF voters made up their minds will help you make up yours.
And once you do, don’t forget to vote. We have everything you need to know about California’s primary, including information about registering, finding your polling place, and what’s on your ballot.
“I’m voting for Elizabeth Warren. She’s the perfect mix of pragmatic and idealistic, and she understands the human impact of policy. I’m obsessed.” — Kenyon DeVault
“Because Joe Biden is gaining momentum and he’s not a candidate I can trust to make sound decisions. He’s been making too many blunders on the campaign trail. He’s also a symbol of old school politics and we need to move away from that. Mayor Pete was my original choice but since he’s out, I feel like Bernie Sanders is my only other choice strategically.” — Elaine
“My little sister has a disability and needs a weekly shot that costs $3,000 without insurance, as well as other drugs to manage her condition. That’s one of my primary driving factors when I vote. I spent years working in government technology, and a critical piece of building a plan, in my mind, is how it will be delivered to citizens. The people I’ve seen join the Elizabeth Warren campaign are the kind of people who’ve built service delivery at scale and can ease the burden of safety-net programs on those most in need of those programs.” — Keith Kurson
“Bernie Sanders is outraged and so am I. We have half a million homeless people and a ridiculous system that ties healthcare coverage with jobs. We spend our money on the wrong priorities and don’t even collect adequate taxes from corporations and the very rich. I adore Bernie and am absolutely thrilled that for the first time in my life, a candidate I actually like — one whose analysis and solutions could actually bring about real and needed change — has a shot at leadership.” — Monica Gyulai
“Elizabeth Warren can speak to both moderates and progressives in a way that no other candidate can. She’s smart and careful and actually gets things done. While I like most of Bernie’s ideas, he doesn’t have the same track record of getting things done as Warren does. — Effie
“I’m voting for Bernie Sanders because I believe in his goals and his platform. He makes me want to vote for something, not against someone.” — Scott Robinson
“I’m voting for Joe Biden, although my favorite candidate is Elizabeth Warren. While I’m more aligned with her positions and worldview and find her personally inspiring, I believe Joe Biden is the best-positioned candidate to win against Donald Trump.” — Anonymous
“I’m supporting Elizabeth Warren. She’s like the Hermione Granger of candidates: smart, prepared, and ready to lead — and very much the kind of person I think can bring a divided country together. And as a personal finance nerd, I read both her books years ago, and she really does get the plight of working people and how the system fucks us up. But, sadly, I totally think that, like Hermione, she’s being overshadowed by Harry Potter — aka Bernie Sanders.” — Viola Chen
“I first learned about Bernie Sanders in the mid-2000s when he would appear on Real Time With Bill Maher. I can remember him so well because I was struggling with a difficult autoimmune disease at that time of my life, and out of nowhere came this passionate politician shouting about America’s broken health care system. I felt heard. Here we are many years later, and while I’m in much better health, I know how many Americans face difficult health challenges, only made worse by our still-broken system. Bernie’s lifelong commitment to helping the less fortunate in this country has kept me optimistic that improvements can be made, and once again, he has my support in the primaries.” — Michael Kasian
“I’m voting with Elizabeth Warren because I believe she has the best chance of beating Trump and she aligns best with my personal values.” — Addy
“To win the presidency, all the Democrats really have to do is get a tremendous voter turnout in swing states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Also, it’s now really common knowledge that people over 30 vote way more than younger folks. So, to get that huge voter turnout, it’s imperative that we get millennials excited about a candidate and turn out in droves for him or her. And, well, can you name a candidate who excites young people more than Bernie Sanders? He also believes our tax dollars should go to uplifting Americans instead of to billionaires and bombing other countries. Bernie also stands for universal health care, free education, saving the environment, and fighting for social justice, which all makes me want to see him as our president… and defeat Trump.” — Stuart Schuffman (Broke-Ass Stuart)
“Elizabeth Warren is both progressive and pragmatic. She has a deeply compelling personal story, her background as a professor gives her the chops to explain big concepts clearly to the American public, she’s a kick-ass debater, and she’s a more thorough planner than her competitors on every issue. I believe in the world Bernie wants to create, but I think Elizabeth actually knows how to build it. Furthermore, in a race that has shed numerous highly qualified women as mediocre men continue onward, a Warren victory would send a message to a whole generation of American girls that women can win. I know it’s a long shot at this point, but I’m crossing my fingers for her.” — Adora S.
“I want to see America start to move in the direction of Denmark and Norway. Bernie Sanders is the strongest candidate supporting this cause. Specifically, I would love to see better education, more action on the environment, and health care that works for everyone. I also like how Bernie is against spending more money on endless wars. I don’t want to pay higher taxes to fund military equipment, but I will gladly pay higher taxes if that money goes to education, health care, infrastructure, green energy, etc. Bernie isn’t an ideal candidate. On several issues, I align more closely with Yang and sometimes Warren. But Bernie has generally the best vision for the country, and he seems like the safest choice (based on polling data) to take on Trump.” — Peter C.
“I decided to go for Elizabeth Warren in the fall of 2019 when big banks, Wall Street, and other big companies and corporations started to declare her public enemy number one. There’s nothing that speaks to me quite like the power in this country trying to tear down a candidate. I want to work for that candidate. And as a former political strategist, I’ve got some sobering advice for billionaires who are afraid of Warren and don’t want her to be the nominee: Shut up.” — Corey Smith
“Elizabeth Warren is the determined progressive candidate who can speak to the fears of moderates and conservatives while capturing the kind of revolutionary energy we need to inspire people in states like Florida to wait in hour-hour lines just to vote. She truly has a plan, and the means, to fix our future. Mainstream media and pundits have tried to mischaracterize her and count her out, and yet she persisted.” — Peter Karpathakis
