What National Dems Can Learn From San Francisco

Yahoo

2 days ago

San Francisco has long been the countrys progressive proving ground. Its where ambitious ideas are tested, movements begin, and political trends take shape before the rest of the nation catches on. But something is changing. In the most famously liberal city in America, voters are no longer satisfied with symbolism or purity tests. They want results. And theyre beginning to reward a different kind of leadership. As members of the local Democratic Party, we have seen this shift firsthand. We call it the New Pragmatism, and it is already reshaping how our party shows up, governs, and earns trust.
We first started to see a change in 2022, when voters recalled three school board members and the recently elected district attorney by wide margins and unseated the first incumbent elected district supervisor in city history. This wasnt a partisan shift. San Franciscos largely Democratic voters were rejecting a certain kind of politician: one who crowed about educational inequality but had no focus on improving student outcomes; with a position on global diplomacy but no idea how to respond to the overdose crisis; or one who could go viral but couldn't run a DAs office. It was a warning.
San Francisco revealed a crucial truth. Voters still support Democratic principles, but they are demanding leaders who deliver. Last year, candidates who focused on basics like public safety, housing, and fixing systems beat louder or more symbolic opponents. The election of Daniel Lurie, a political outsider who ran on cleaning up open-air drug markets, reducing crime, and rooting out corruption, made the point clear. Show up. Fix things. Stay rooted in everyday struggles. That is what it looks like when Democratic values meet real-world results.
But that was not the version of the party voters saw in much of the country. We became less of a party of working people and more of a party that explained things to them. Voters asked for outcomes, we gave them process and vibes. Eventually, they stopped asking.
The voters drifting or bolting from the party are not asking us to become more like Republicans. They are asking us to become more like neighbors, problem-solvers, and public servants again. If Democrats want to rebuild trust and win back the majority, it starts with five principles we have seen play out right here at home.
First, Democrats need to remember that all politics is still local, even when you are not. Voters feel government in daily life: grocery prices, rent, street cleanliness, or the DMV line. Whether you are in Congress or on a school board, your job is to make life work better where people live. Federal lawmakers should focus on lowering costs, not scoring points on cable news. State legislators should fix the achievement gap and help families stay afloat. All politics is local because life is local. Forget that, and we lose the people we serve.
Second, we need to be practical, not performative. Voters arent asking Democrats to stop opposing Trump. They want us to fix whats broken, too. People want leaders who share their values and their urgency. They want officials who are serious, frustrated, and focused on results. Performative politics, like symbolic resolutions, theatrical statements, and policies that signal instead of solve, feel like a slap to voters just trying to get by.
In San Francisco, when the Board of Supervisors passed a resolution on Gaza, many werent as outraged by the positions as they were frustrated that the city seemed more focused on global conflict than local crises. When people need competence and courage, political theater is the last thing they want. They want public servants who fight back and follow through.
Third, Democrats need to take on power that matters. At every level of government, entrenched interests are standing in the way of progress, and voters are tired of seeing Democrats punch up at national villains while ignoring the ones right in front of them. That is why the party must reclaim this value: Use power where you are. If you are on a city council, your job is not to fix Gaza or Wall Street. It is to break the chokehold of NIMBY homeowners, streamline permitting, and make your city work for people living paycheck to paycheck. If you are in a state legislature, take on the fiefdoms and monopolies that stall projects and hoard resources. In Congress, do not hide behind symbolism. Use real tools like tax policy, regulation, and enforcement to shift wealth, protect rights, and challenge the powerful. Every level of government has a role. Use the power you have to level the playing field.
Fourth, it is time to let go of sacred cows, whether they are policies or people. Democrats have never stood for rigidity. We have always stood for progress. Franklin Roosevelt said it best: "It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something." That spirit made America fairer and freer. And it is what voters still expect from us. If a program no longer works, reform it. If a system is failing, replace it. The point is not to preserve what once worked. It is to keep making things work.
That also means making space for new leadership and a generation living the realities we need to fix. The fate of fundamental rights and our democracy should not depend on the longevity and mental acuity of a few key octogenarians. Voters want a party that builds new leaders, not just protects old ones. Progress is not about defending the old playbook. It is about writing a better one.
Fifth, we need to restore public trust by proving we deserve it. Voters are not just frustrated with government performance. They are increasingly convinced it is rigged. And too often, they are right. Corruption is a slow-moving acid. It eats away at faith in institutions, then at participation itself. When people believe public officials are in it for themselves, everything else we say stops mattering.
Democrats should lead on ethical, accountable governance, not just in rhetoric but in real reforms. That means banning stock trades, embracing blind trusts, requiring stronger disclosures, and creating ethics commissions with teeth. But most of all, it means recognizing that good policy cannot survive bad politics. We cannot ask voters to trust us with big change if we do not hold ourselves accountable. They are paying attention. If we fail to clean up our act, they will find someone else who promises to.
San Francisco has not solved it all. But we have seen something real take hold - at the ballot box, on doorsteps, and in the quiet shift back toward public service that works. It is about showing up, solving problems, using power, and being honest about what is broken and what can be fixed. It does not make headlines. It wins votes. And it rebuilds trust.
That is what we mean by the New Pragmatism. It is not a retreat from Democratic ideals. It is how we make them matter. It is a politics that stands up to authoritarianism, brings down grocery bills, believes government can do big things, and knows that none of it matters unless we make it work. If Democrats across the country want to win again, they should start paying attention.
Nancy Tung is chair of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee and a San Francisco prosecutor.
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Eric Kingsbury is a member of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee and served as campaign manager for Mayor London Breed's 2024 re-election campaign.