After holding out for those uncounted ballots for a couple days, the Avalos for Mayor camp has finally given up the ghost. This afternoon, Team Avalos released a concession letter of sorts. Observe:
I want to offer my congratulations to Ed Lee on his election and my congratulations to the other candidates on their campaigns.We are very proud to have made a strong showing for second, and are incredibly proud to have run a clean, issue-based campaign, powered by our dedicated volunteers. We defied expectations, and to have come this far is a testament to the sacrifices, determination and imagination of our supporters.
After dispensing with the pleasantries, Avalos gets down to the heart of his campaign:
But we are equally proud of the fact that we were able to change the debate, to make sure that the issues that matter to the everyday people in this City are now on the table and are getting the attention they deserve. We are thrilled that bold ideas that put people first are now household issues here in the City, like creating a municipal bank, or balancing the budget not through cuts to the needy but by taxing the wealthiest among us.This campaign was about building unity and connections within the community of people who have been left out of the political process. We have been proud and inspired to see people from the Tenants Union working side-by-side with people from the Bike Coalition, to see members of DogPAC working with community members from the BayView. We are looking forward to seeing the results of these new relationships play out in upcoming policy battles on the Board of Supervisors, during next fall’s elections, and beyond.
I am sincerely grateful to all of my supporters who gave time and money, who threw parties and lent us their talents and genius. Our hearts were warmed, and we will never forget their generosity.
And with that, the progressive sect withdraws to fight another day. Not all is lost for the progressives though: in a somewhat telling move this afternoon, the still-supervisor tweeted (and then promptly deleted) the following: "I have kids and read Harry potter. Chiu is Peter Pettigrew and W B voldemort.”
So if Willie Brown is Voldemort, [spoiler alert?] did Avalos just die to save the wizarding world San Francisco? Also, from now on, we will only be speaking of San Francisco's insidery political scene in terms of books for tweens. It's just easier that way.
