Behind the Ballot: San Francisco candidate for mayor Daniel Lurie
Non-profit executive and San Francisco mayoral candidate Daniel Lurie stands as the only person running for the office who is a city hall outsider.
CBS News Bay Area recently spent time with Lurie as he raced to make it to a date night with his wife. As he dashed across town, with each passing block, Lurie was reminded of why he's taken on the challenge of a campaign.
"You've got to be all in if you're going to do something as crazy as run for mayor of your hometown," he said.
"I love when people say that you can't do something, and I think that's what we're seeing in San Francisco," he continued. "We have a culture now where people are like, 'Oh, San Francisco's done.' The city's got the same drive that I do, and we won't be stopped."
Under 100 days out from election day, the reality of his run for mayor hasn't set in for the man known for his non-profit Tipping Point and his relation to the Levi's company. Even so, he says his identity lies with the spirit of San Francisco.
"I think people have always underestimated me. I think people think, 'Oh, everything just was handed to him,'" Lurie explained. "Listen, I've had a lot of opportunities. I will never deny that. I work hard at everything I do."
Stepping off the 9 Muni bus onto Market Street, Lurie pauses to tie his shoes before walking into the main event.
"I used to wear crazy colored socks, and I'm trying to tone it down a little bit. But you got to have a little something down there," he said of his graphic socks. "Too boring, too boring," he says of plain socks.
Lurie walks into an event close to his heart, Downtown First Thursdays in SoMa. It's a monthly happening created by the Civic Joy Fund, a group founded in part by Lurie himself, with a vision rooted in the next generation.
"I want all of our kids, not just my kids, all of our kids that have that same sense of pride and wonder about our great city," said Lurie. "Right now, we're all a little worried about the direction our city is heading, and I want to do something about it."
Hand in hand, Lurie and his wife Becca are going on more than 20 years together. She learned early on to Lurie's commitment to commitment.
"When he says that he's going to do something, as crazy as it might sometimes be, he's going to do it," she told CBS News Bay Area.
Even the family dog is an example of Lurie's loyalty to his own promises.
"I brought this dog home without running it by Becca and the kids were so happy," said Lurie.
"She peed on our carpet in the first moment," Becca reminds him of their dog's first impression. "I should have known. I should have followed my own counsel about him. I should have listened to what I knew to be true about you."
"If I'm going to do something, I'm going all in," said Lurie.
MORE MAYORAL CANDIDATE PROFILES IN THIS SERIES
