California: Pelosi backs radical socialist Dean Preston, a foe of Elon Musk, in San Francisco supervisor election

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced her endorsement of Supervisor Dean Preston in his re-election campaign in San Francisco, in a move that could give the controversial socialist official's career a tremendous boost.

According to Politico which exclusively revealed Pelosi's endorsement, Preston is a radical progressive official who is facing a tough re-election challenge in an election race that has attracted the attention of prominent national figures such as Elon Musk and Bernie Sanders.

According to the magazine, Pelosi's endorsement comes as Preston, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, is coming under multiple attacks from groups funded by tech investors, who sharply question the supervisor's opposition to tough-on-crime policies.

"Those groups are spending heavily to back Bilal Mahmood, a moderate Democrat, tech entrepreneur and former Obama administration staffer," Politico reported.

Likewise, the San Francisco Chronicle gave more context to the race, explaining that Preston, the only Democratic socialist on the Board of Supervisors and a longtime critic of moderates and Mayor London Breed, is running against two moderate candidates to represent the Haight, Alamo Square and Tenderloin neighborhoods.

Tenderloin, in fact, is the epicenter of the city's crackdown on open-air drug use and dealing and has frequently been in the subject of clashes between Preston and Breed.

In 2023, Preston garnered national attention when Elon Musk publicly called for his imprisonment.  This was due to Preston's controversial support of an ordinance to ban security guards from using firearms to prevent robberies.

At the time, the Telsa brand owner promised he would donate to the opposition in order to defeat Preston. It is unclear whether he has actually donated money to the supervisor's rivals in this race. 

But Preston has now received support from Pelosi, one of the Democratic Party's higher ups as well as one of California's most prominent leaders.

The former House speaker's team confirmed with Politico that she will vote for Preston on Wednesday night, when the county Democratic Party central committee makes its picks in local races.

"This is a powerful endorsement from one of San Francisco’s most powerful leaders, and I look forward to working with Speaker Emerita Pelosi in our united effort to defeat Donald Trump," Preston said in a statement.

San Francisco's supervisors, equivalent to city council members, play a crucial role in shaping local policy and budgeting. Historically, this position has served as a launching pad for higher-profile political figures, such as the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Sen. Scott Wiener.