State Senator Christine Kehoe announced yesterday that she is assembling an exploratory committee for a potential mayoral campaign. Kehoe is San Diego’s first openly gay politician to win public office and would be one of two female candidates for Mayor in 2012.
San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis is the only prominent candidate thus far in the 2012 race, with Republican City Councilman Carl DeMaio still in the exploratory phase of his possible campaign for the office. According to the San Diego News Room, Kehoe would stand as a viable candidate against both Dumanis and DeMaio thanks to her long-time career in local politics and her visibility at both the citywide and state levels of government.
Kehoe was first elected to the city council in 1993, where she served until 2000. She then went on to the State Assembly, and from there to the State Senate. Kehoe is now set to leave the Senate due to term limits.
When asked about her vision for a better San Diego, Kehoe explained that she sees a need for “honest solutions that don’t cause more problems than they solve.”
“Working together and using common sense, we can get San Diego on the right track,” Kehoe said.
Among Kehoe’s notable past works are the development of City Heights Urban Plaza, the expansion of the I-15 through Mid-City, and the reformation of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.
On Sunday, June 5, mayoral candidates are permitted to begin raising campaign funds and continue to do so through the end of the month.
