That is the amount by which David Alvarez lost the mayoral race to Kevin Faulconer. First, the LGBT community did not sell out. It voted overwhelmingly for David Alvarez in the “gayborhoods” of Hillcrest, North Park, University Heights and South Park. Meaning in most precincts Alvarez got more than 70 percent of the vote, just like Bob Filner.
While the optics suggested that LGBT leaders moved the community to Faulconer, it is simply not true. So in spite of the efforts made by LGBT folks that supported Faulconer, like Susan Jester, Nicole Murray Ramirez, Dwayne Crenshaw, Bob Nelson and others, they did not move the LGBT vote one iota.
What those “leaders” who marched through Hillcrest did is use our community as a backdrop: a backdrop to make independents think that Faulconer was LGBT friendly. I have already written about the fact that Faulconer refused to repudiate his party’s anti-LGBT platform. Our community was prostituted, but someone forgot to leave the $100 on the nightstand.
The point is that we need to stop letting those who do not have the best interests of our community be our so-called leaders. It is never acceptable to support someone who supports a party platform that is against our equality. What is great is that the vast majority of the community voted correctly; for LGBT equality. In fact, since the “gayborhoods” are not totally LGBT, it looks like that the community completely rejected Faulconer. Unfortunately, Alvarez voters did not turn out.
As many of you know, I am from Chicago. That means I do not let people off when they lose political races. Alvarez could not deliver turnout of his key voters in Barrio Logan, the “gayborhoods” or college kids and minority precincts. He also did terribly with independents. So Alvarez lost and rightfully so.
If you cannot turnout your base, you should not be in the race. Plain and simple. Many of Alvarez’s key precincts had voter turnouts below 35 percent, whereas Faulconer had some districts with 70 percent turnout. You can’t win if your voters have no enthusiasm; thank you David Alvarez for making that clear to every San Diegan.
Notice how all Democrats involved with the Filner recall are nowhere to be found. Hey Donna Fry, Cory Briggs and Marco Gonzalez, you have no comment? You started the process but you had no plan for post resignation? Francine Busby, the leader of the San Diego Democratic Party, said it was the best mayoral campaign she has ever seen. Francine, you lost. Don’t you know that is not a good campaign?
The first rule in Chicago is to pick a good candidate. How did the Democratic Party choose David Alvarez? He was the last man standing. When asked to consider a run for mayor, Kehoe said no. Toni Atkins said no. Todd Gloria said maybe, but the labor unions said no to him. Lori Saldaña said no. Nathan Fletcher said yes but had poor operatives running his campaign and couldn’t make the runoff. Mike Aguirre said yes but had so much baggage he wasn’t even a factor. So there was young David Alvarez like a deer caught in the headlights and the Democratic Party said let’s go with Alvarez.
In Chicago when you are left with a weak candidate who cannot turn out citywide votes, you recruit someone else. Why? Because you don’t want to be trounced by seven points. Time to clean house in the San Diego Democratic Party. Stat.
STAMPP CORBIN
PUBLISHER
San Diego LGBT Weekly
I will never understand why your publication continues to give Nicole Murray Ramirez a pulpit for her to spew her one sided garbage in the first place.The only reason I can figure that she was for Faulconer was because he promised her a place on his Transition Advisory Council whatever that means
Did you just get here from Chicago or what?
Alvarez did a wonderful job exciting his base, that was evident with the thousand of volunteers that went door-to-door on his behalf. Faulconer on the other hand had to pay volunteers or have them flown in. Alvarez lost because he didn’t appeal to Independents plain and simple. That and the fact the Dems never show up for special elections.