There are already two candidates who’ve announced they’re running for Supervisor Rafael Mandelman’s District 8 seat when he’s termed out in the November 2026 election, as one-time Nancy Pelosi aide Gary McCoy has thrown his hat in the ring.

We learned last week that Manny’s cafe owner Manny Yekutiel said he would be running for District 8 supervisor in November 2026, an election that is still 14 months away. Current District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman will have served his max of two terms, and will be termed out. (For those keeping score at home, Supervisors Matt Dorsey, Stephen Sherrill, and whoever they name to replace Joel Engardio will also be up for reelection that day, Supervisor Shamann Walton will also be termed out.)

The Chronicle’s reporting on Yekutiel’s announcement also noted that Gary McCoy, a former aide to the then-Supervisor Scott Wiener, then-Supervisor London Breed, and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi was also considering running. And in a 7:30 pm Tuesday night press release. McCoy announced he was indeed running for District 8 supervisor, according to the Chronicle.

As a reminder, District 8 covers the Castro, Glen Park, Noe Valley, and Diamond Heights.

“San Francisco needs leaders who aren't afraid to stand up for what’s right, cut through bureaucracy and get things done,” McCoy said in his press release announcement. “I know what it means to fight; I’ve fought for health care, for housing, for working families, and for our LGBTQ community. I’ve lived the consequences of a system that fails people, and I’ve worked to change that system so others don’t have to endure the same struggles. That’s the fight I want to take to City Hall for District 8.”

The SF Standard cuts to the chase, which is that McCoy has a slew of criminal and drug charges dating back to 2000-02, including grand larceny, felony theft, and driving on a suspended license, as well as a number of probation violations and failing to appear in court. McCoy is up front that he was stealing retail items to support a heroin habit, at a time that the Standard says McCoy was “better known as Sharky, a 20-year-old punk with a gleaming silver mohawk.”

Though as KTVU notes, McCoy is now 15 years sober and a leader in the local recovery community.

And quite surprisingly, McCoy has already picked off the support of a moderate supervisor whom you’d figure would be endorsing Manny Yekutiel, in Supervisor Matt Dorsey.

“As I often say, the recovery community is a sleeping giant,” Dorsey said in the press release, as Dorsey is public about being in recovery himself. “Gary McCoy is a testament to the power of recovery: his experience turning his life around has helped make him the incredible public servant and leader he is today. As someone who has walked that road myself, I know the courage it takes not only to rebuild your life, but to dedicate it to fighting for others. Gary brings that perspective to public service, and it’s exactly the kind of leadership San Francisco needs right now."

Yet there may be some political risk for McCoy that he’s openly advocated for safe-consumption/safe-injection sites, and he was even VP of policy & public affairs at the nonprofit HealthRIGHT 360, which actually planned to administer some of those sites.

But McCoy has the support and hearty endorsement from none other than Nancy Pelosi herself. If Pelosi campaigns for McCoy, or fundraises for him, that could be an absolute nuclear weapon for McCoy in this campaign.

The Chronicle speculated in their reporting last month that former Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club president and City College board member Tom Temprano might also run for the District 8 seat. Temprano did not confirm this.

One very interesting nugget in McCoy’s press release is that he came out and said he “supports Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Family Zoning plan." While that plan will surely go before the SF Board of Supervisors well before the 2026 election, McCoy is giving Mayor Lurie a big fat kiss with that announcement. Could a Lurie endorsement follow?

And while his presumptive opponent Manny Yekutiel teamed up with Lurie to start the Civic Joy Fund, which throws Downtown First Thursdays and other Night Market-type events, it’s unclear if the two are still on good terms. Lurie seemed frankly kind of  dismissive of Yekutiel in the first mayoral debate that Manny moderated with Heather Knight, and you’d imagine Lurie likely did not appreciate when Manny publicly toyed with running against Lurie in the 2024 mayoral race.

McCoy’s press release says he’s throwing a campaign kickoff event at 10 am Saturday in the Castro.

Related: Manny Yekutiel of Manny’s Fame Declares He’s Running for District 8 Supervisor [SFist]

Image via Gary McCoy for Supervisor