Now that Mayor Ed Lee has made up his mind about running for mayor, it seems Supervisor Jane Kim is having a little trouble making decisions herself. A few hours after Lee declared his candidacy, Kim came out with a most unusual endorsement.
The freshman supervisor announced her three-way endorsement that hits the political trifecta: Supervisor John Avalos, Board President David Chiu, and Lee.
"All three have a history of serving and working directly in our communities. As a community organizer, I
first met all three before they were elected officials and I have personally seen each demonstrate a deep commitment to neighborhood empowerment and public service," Kim says in a statement.
It's not necessarily unusual to endorse three candidates in an election with ranked-choice voting. But what is odd are the candidates she chose -- the progressive Avalos, the moderate Chiu, and then Lee, whose entire campaign is under fire.
"Gets to keep everyone happy," says political consultant Jim Ross. Plus, he added "Ranked-choice voting lets politicians have their cake, eat it, and then go back for a second piece."
The three-way endorsement only perpetuates this is-Kim-a-moderate-or-a-progressive game. While she ran as a left-leaning progressive who was thought to side with Avalos politically, she has acted more like a moderate while on the board. Specifically, she was blasted by her progressive colleagues when she rolled out business-friendly legislation for Twitter tax breaks with the help of Mayor Lee and Supervisor Chiu -- her former roommate.
Making yet another reference to eating too much cake, Aaron Peskin, chairman of the local Democratic Party, was clearly annoyed by yesterday's political show. "Whatever," he said after hearing about Kim's endorsement. "It's politically convenient."
"It seems like an entirely calculated having your cake and eating it, too [endorsement]," he adds. "After she threw her progressive colleague and her former roommate under the bus, she's giving them the consolation prize with an honorable mention endorsement. This is like Gavin Newsom, who would endorse someone the day before the election or even the day after."
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