Chyanne Chen Claims Victory in District 11, Leads by 190 Votes
Nov 17, 2024
Chyanne Chen has claimed victory in the race to become the next District 11 Supervisor, in a desperately needed ray of hope for progressives. She will be succeeding the termed-out Ahsha Safai."I am committed to bringing people together to fight for stronger communities, safe neighborhoods and improved services," Chen said in a statement on Instagram.Chen has received 50.4% of the votes, and is currently leading Michael Lai by a slim 190-vote difference. District 11 was the tightest race out of any supervisor race. Lai led at Election Day's close, but Chen pulled a late lead driven by votes transferred over from third-place finisher Ernest “EJ” Jones, an area where she currently leads 2,833 to Lai's 1,566. Lai conceded on Sunday afternoon, saying that he called Chen to offer his congratulations as the District 11's first Asian-American Supervisor in a statement posted to Instagram. In that statement, however, he also made it clear that he was not done with politics quite yet.“To the working families, small business owners, young & old — I’m not going anywhere,” Lai wrote. “We’re just getting started.”Chen, a progressive who immigrated to the United States from China as a teenager, drew endorsements from unions and several notable local politicians. Her victory, alongside District 9's Jackie Fielder and a few ballot measures, represent the lone bright spots for progressives, who otherwise lost ground across the board to moderates. "This victory is a win for working people all across San Francisco." wrote local union IFPTE Local 21 on Instagram. "Chyanne is a real fighter who stands up for affordable housing, higher minimum wages, and quality city services.Image: Chyanne Chen via Instagram