Early Progressives Catch the Worm

by Paul Hogarth, 2007-10-24

It’s not November 2007 yet, but a few progressives running for office in November 2008 have gone to City Hall to declare statements of intent – which allows them to start raising money. Yesterday, School Board member Eric Mar filed papers to run for District 1 Supervisor (after Jake McGoldrick gets termed out) – and he brought a couple first-time candidates with him. Chris Jackson, a 24-year-old union organizer, is running for the College Board – and Peter Lauterborn, a 23-year-old youth advocate, is running for the School Board. Mar is well known in the progressive community, but he added that Jackson and Lauterborn have been involved for years. While the election is more than a year away, said Mar, “the early bird catches the worm, and progressives need to start preparing early.”

Progressives have a lot of soul-searching to do this year, and with the Mayor’s race a foregone conclusion, it is time to start looking ahead at 2008. This means seriously considering who will run for Supervisor in each district, as members of the “Class of 2000” will step down because of term limits. But it also means laying the groundwork for a “farm team” of progressive candidates at lower levels of the ballot.

“As an elected official,” said Mar, “I have an obligation to support young leadership. We need to build a progressive movement that builds leadership – and that’s why I’m here today.” Lauterborn has served as a Youth Commissioner, and is a frequent contributor for Beyond Chron. Jackson works for the Central Labor Council – and prior to that was student body President at S.F. State and also worked for Assemblyman Kevin DeLeon.

Beyond Jackson and Lauterborn, Mar added that Sonya Mehta of Young Workers United is also running for the Community College Board. And one of Mar's progressive colleagues on the School Board, Mark Sanchez, has declared that he will run for Supervisor in District 9.

“Though these people look young,” said Mar, “they have a long track record of bringing more people together.” Or as Jackson chimed in, “age is just a number. It’s also about experience.” Jackson and Lauterborn will have a whole year to introduce themselves to San Francisco voters – and convince them that they deserve support.

Send feedback to paul@beyondchron.org