How Levi Strauss heir Daniel Lurie won over Asian Americans to become SF mayor

Daniel Lurie secured a decisive victory in the San Francisco mayoral race, denying incumbent London Breed a second full term.

Results: As of Wednesday night, Lurie amassed 99,235 votes (26.7%) compared to Breed’s 90,503 (24.3%). Despite being relatively unknown when he announced his campaign, the Levi Strauss heir and nonprofit founder resonated with residents seeking change, particularly among Asian American voters. His meticulous outreach, orchestrated by campaign manager Han Zou and Chinese community lead Kit Lam, aggressively targeted Asian voters through an extensive field program that knocked on over 140,000 doors and leveraged $8.9 million of Lurie’s personal funds.
“The change candidate”: Public safety, which Breed has received sharp criticism on, was a focal message. “I expected him to get maybe a quarter or a third of the support. This is, like, overwhelming,” political consultant David Ho told Mission Local. While prominent Asian community leaders endorsed other candidates, Lurie’s grassroots engagement outshined traditional methods, and his deep-pocketed media campaign ensured high visibility. Meanwhile, Breed’s efforts to paint Lurie as inexperienced fell flat amid widespread frustration over crime, homelessness and economic decline. “He was the change candidate in a change election,” Tyler Law, Lurie’s campaign consultant, told the San Francisco Chronicle. In his victory speech in Chinatown, Lurie underscored the significance of his Asian support: “As the AAPI and the Chinese community goes, so goes San Francisco.”

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