Some things to remember as Faulconer eyes governor bid
Mayor Kevin Faulconer recently said he is “seriously considering ” running for governor in 2022, so it seems worthwhile to keep a few things in mind about how he got to this point.
One of them is that he has never won a regular general election as a nonincumbent for any office.
That’s important to note given the context that he is a rare Republican mayor in a major, and heavily Democratic, U.S. city. That status has boosted his prospects of taking on
Gov. Gavin Newsom in very blue California.
Faulconer’s rise at San Diego City Hall came via two special elections, first after an incumbent Democratic City Council member and then a Democratic mayor resigned amid separate scandals.
As an incumbent, Faulconer went on to win re-election to both offices easily against light opposition in normal election cycles. But the special elections that first got him there were low-turnout affairs — more advantageous terrain for a Republican than a general November election.
Since he became mayor, he has worked with Democratic majorities on the City Council to get many of his initiatives passed.
Faulconer, then a public relations executive, lost a council race to Mike Zucchet in 2002, but succeeded him some three years later after the incumbent stepped down.
Then-Rep. Bob Filner, a Democrat, was elected mayor in 2012, but soon resigned amid sexual harassment charges. Faulconer entered and won the 2013-14 special election, aided by infighting within the local Democratic Party and labor unions, which largely coalesced behind low-profile council member David Alvarez.
Faulconer was the only major Republican candidate after a concerted effort by some GOP leaders to clear the field of other Republicans.
In a recent interview, Faulconer didn’t see his special-election history as any kind of qualifier in going up against a Democratic governor who was elected in a landslide in 2018.
“You go out and win the argument, and then you win the vote,” he said.
Faulconer has been sized up as a potential candidate for governor since shortly after he became mayor.
Newsom, meanwhile, has hit a rough patch after regularly receiving high job-approval ratings in public surveys. His response to the coronavirus pandemic — viewed as a strength not long ago — has come under growing criticism amid surging COVID-19 caseloads.
His decision to attend a birthday dinner at The French Laundry restaurant in Napa County — where some of his own socialdistancing safety rules were ignored — poured gasoline on the flames of widespread frustration and anger at government restrictions on gatherings and businesses.
He has also been beset by ongoing problems at the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Economic Development Department.
Faulconer has ramped up his criticism of Newsom, and it’s been noticed.