Manny Yekutiel drops out of SF supervisor race after new allegations of sexual assault
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco political candidate Manny Yekutiel has dropped out of the race for District 8 supervisor after new allegations of sexual assault surfaced Thursday and several prominent supporters withdrew their endorsements.
The San Francisco Standard first reported that Yekutiel is accused of groping two men at a Pride party in 2023. The allegations follow a June accusation by a man who said Yekutiel sexually assaulted him at a party in 2020. Yekutiel has denied the 2020 allegation.
The new allegations prompted a wave of political leaders to rescind their support for Yekutiel, who had been considered the frontrunner in the race.
Mayor Daniel Lurie announced Thursday that he was withdrawing his endorsement.
"When I endorsed Manny in September, I believed he was the best candidate to represent District 8. My endorsement is a statement of my confidence in someone's character and leadership, and in light of the additional accounts reported Thursday, I am withdrawing it. Coming forward is hard, and these survivors deserve to be heard and treated with dignity and respect," Lurie said in a statement.
ABC7 political analyst Phil Matier said the additional allegations changed the political landscape around the race.
"Mayor Lurie initially overlooked it and endorsed the candidate this time; however, with more people coming to the forefront, it changes the whole dynamic and you have a herd mentality and stampede. The politicians want to get away from this more than they want to do anything else," Matier said.
Several members of the Board of Supervisors also withdrew their support Thursday, including Bilal Mahmood, Stephen Sherrill and Matt Dorsey.
Yekutiel, known for hosting prominent political figures at his Mission District cafe, announced the end of his campaign in a statement.
"After a great deal of reflection I have made the difficult decision to end my campaign for District 8 Supervisor. As I said from the very beginning, I'm not a typical candidate. Moving through the machinery of San Francisco's politics has left me with very little light left in my heart," Yekutiel said.
Lurie also said he would not endorse another candidate in the race, instead leaving the decision to District 8 voters.
