Outside John’s Grill on Ellis Street, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown feigned shock to find reporters from several local outlets with cameras.
“Who are you people? What are you doing here?” Brown joked.
When a reporter told him it was because he was popular, Brown said, “You think so? Then I’m announcing my candidacy.”
The Mayor for Life and onetime Kamala Harris paramour followed with a perfectly timed rejoinder: “No! I will never be second! Not only that, you know I’m too old. They got rid of the old guy!”
At a hastily called press conference outside the venerable downtown eatery, Brown weighed in on President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee.
Brown, who dated Harris when she was an Alameda County prosecutor in the mid-1990s, said he learned of Biden’s decision “35, 40 minutes, maybe an hour ago,” along with the general public. He urged Democrats who had been pushing for Biden to step aside to rally behind Harris.
“I hope all those Democrats who’ve been pushing Biden to quit will now show up and ring doorbells with me,” he said.
The former mayor, nattily dressed as ever in a pink Isaia blazer, gray slacks and hat and white tennis shoes, drew parallels to Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1968 decision not to seek reelection, noting that Johnson had also endorsed his vice president.
“Since last January, he has been a candidate that all the Democrats embraced,” Brown said of Biden. “To come at the eleventh hour with an exit, it has to be health-related, not age.”
Brown dismissed the idea of a “mini primary” to select a new nominee.
“Biden has the nomination if he wishes. I think he has indicated he doesn’t wish it,” Brown said. “He wishes the country to be better off and he wishes us to beat Trump. The best way to do that is with Kamala Harris.”
Brown suggested that Biden should resign immediately to allow Harris to assume the presidency, arguing this would “silence all of this nonsense about how best to select some new nominee. … Her chances go up if he would at this moment say not only am I no longer the candidate, I’m no longer the president — she is.”
Brown emphasized Harris’ readiness for the role, citing her youth and the financial resources already available for a campaign, before stressing the importance of defeating former President Donald Trump in the upcoming election.
“I hope all those people that on the Democratic side for the last three months have allowed a poor performance out of a debate to distract them … will now no longer be distracted,” Brown said.
He added that he believed party leaders like Biden and former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton would join in supporting Harris, as they did through posts to social media — as well as one other former president.
“I think George Bush may say, ‘I’m for Kamala Harris,’ ” Brown said. “He certainly didn’t show up at the Republican convention, and I know he likes to go to conventions.”
Brown dismissed concerns about Harris’s qualifications, citing her successful track record as San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general and U.S. senator. “In all the jobs she’s had … she’s always been outstanding,” he insisted.
Addressing potential challenges, Brown expressed confidence that Harris could effectively face Trump in debates. “When they watch Kamala Harris exchange views with Trump, there’ll be no question. The gender of the candidate will not make the difference,” he said.
Brown also highlighted the historic nature of Harris’ potential presidency, noting that she would be the first graduate of a historically Black college or university to reach the White House.
Brown predicted that California Gov. Gavin Newsom would continue to support Harris, saying, “Gavin will remain a loyal soldier.”
The former mayor concluded by saying he hopes for an all-female ticket, with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer running for vice president.
