Kim’s challenge to Scott Wiener kicks off a big battle for 2016
By Tim Redmond
OCTOBER 14, 2015 – Sup. Jane Kim will announce today that she’s running for the state Senate seat that will open up next fall when incumbent Mark Leno is termed out.
Kim joins Sup. Scott Wiener, who has been openly running for the seat for months.
Kim’s announcement is also a sign that former Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, who was far ahead of Wiener in the polls, won’t enter the race. There’s no way Kim would have run against Ammiano.
In fact, Kim told me that Ammiano, Sups. David Campos and John Avalos and Norman Yee, former Senator Carole Migden, and Assemblymember Phil Ting have already pledged to support her.
Kim confirmed to me that she will be announcing today (Wednesday) with a statement. That’s how Wiener announced; neither one has done a full-on press event with supporters.
Leno is backing Wiener. It’s likely that most progressives will rally behind Kim.
Kim has differed with much of the left in the city in her support for the Twitter tax break, but of late has been a progressive champion, particularly with her Eviction 2.0 legislation.
Wiener has a head start – he’s been running for this seat for at least a year, and has been an announced candidate for months. But Kim has shown she’s an aggressive campaigner.
She’s also been friendly with Assemblyman David Chiu. Wiener endorsed Chiu, who will now have to decide whether to pay back that favor, to go with his old friend Kim, or to stay out of it.
(UPDATE: I am informed that Chiu has already endorsed Wiener. I wonder what this “pro-tenant” mayor will do.)
We will post her statement as soon as we get it.
So in the middle of a heated fall election campaign, another one starts.
