Democrats in San Francisco quickly organize, rally support for Kamala Harris
Less than 24 hours after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed running mate and Vice President Kamala Harris for president, groups of San Francisco Democrats quickly organized to rally support for her.
At a rally on the steps of San Francisco City Hall, Adrian Chang sported a t-shirt he's kept in his closet for the last four years. It's covered in photos of Harris, capturing the attention of supporters down the block.
"It's also just sparked a level of excitement that they now have going into this election," he told CBS News Bay Area. "It's definitely been a conversation starter. I think some folks thought that I jumped the gun and was able to get a rapid delivery. But no, I've had it for four years, and I was ready to ride with Biden, but I'm ready to ride with Kamala, and so I'm, I'm proud to wear this. I think I've had it on for the past 48 hours. So, you're going to see a lot of this shirt for the next coming months."
In the hours following the rally, Chang joined his husband Trevor Chandler — who is running his own local race for San Francisco Supervisor in District 9 — in a door-knocking campaign.
They say as the Biden campaign began to unravel last month, their conversations with potential voters quickly turned from local issues on public safety and community strategies to concerns of the greater Democratic party.
"Voters in District 9 were incredibly concerned about the presidential race, so much so that they were telling me, 'Trevor, I can't talk about local issues right now because I am so overwhelmed with what's happening at the national level,'" Trevor said. "So, I think by us going out there, showing that we are just as excited for Kamala as the rest of the country, is to hopefully send a big signal to the rest of the country that, hey, San Francisco loves our daughter. We're going to stand up for her.."
The shakeup that thrust Harris into the spotlight has brought a surge of excitement for the Democratic ticket in the city she once called home, San Francisco, where she served as district attorney from 2004 to 2011.
City and state leaders at the rally celebrating her candidacy threw their support fully behind Harris.
"Right now, she needs us more than ever, she needs us to come together," said Mayor London Breed. "We as Democrats, we don't have time to waste."
"Kamala Harris is more than a Black woman, more than a Southeast Asian woman, she is an accomplished professional," said State Controller Malia Cohen. "This is a woman that is centered and focused on justice, on fairness, and most importantly universal love."
"I'm proud to endorse my former Kindergarten classmate and former S.F. public servant (Kamala Harris) in her race to save our democracy from Trump extremism. With 106 days to go, she'll need all of us united behind her. Thank you for stepping in to lead at this critical moment," said San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin.
As Adrian and Trevor reached the finish line of their door-knocking campaign Monday, Adrian's shirt caught the attention of potential voters desperate to find clarity in the Democratic ticket, with Harris' local roots providing some reassurance.
"We've seen the type of people that we elect in San Francisco go on to become speaker, go on become president, they go on to become vice president," said Trevor. "We need to focus on making sure we're electing those type of people, and I think having Kamala at the top of the ticket is going to make people think more seriously about who they vote for at the local level this coming election."