Supervisor Dean Preston announced Sunday he conceded the San Francisco District 5 race.
Preston took to the social media platform Instagram to thank his staff and address his supporters.
"I’ve spent a lifetime fighting for underdogs, often against the odds. I wouldn’t change a minute of it," he said. "We can’t win every battle, but we’ll continue the fight. We banned evictions, paid back rents, taxed the mega-rich for social housing, barred SFPD’s use of killer robots, pioneered the use of hotels for homeless people, passed groundbreaking rights for renters, saved public transit lines, passed five major ballot measures and over a hundred pieces of legislation."
District 5 includes the Tenderloin, Haight-Ashbury, and Western Addition and is considered one of the city’s most progressive areas.
Preston was elected as the district's representative twice, and in his announcement, he hinted at an upcoming move he "will announce soon."
He originally won his seat after a special election in 2019 and then elected to serve a full term the following year.
Preston, a described democratic socialist, had positioned himself as an advocate for renters in his district and was vocal on tackling the opioid crisis.
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According to the latest figures from the San Francisco Department of Elections on Sunday, Preston trailed Bilal Mahmood, a tech entrepreneur who had just over 52% of the vote.
NBC Bay Area has not called the race.
Mahmood, a former political analyst for the Obama administration and Tenderloin resident, had previously run for state Assembly in 2022 but lost that bid.
Mahmood raised over $496,000 and was supported by the political advocacy group GrowSF’s “Dump Dean” PAC, which contributed nearly $300,000. He received endorsements from Mayor London Breed and State Senator Scott Wiener.
Preston was endorsed by House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, state Assemblymember Phil Ting and the California Nurses Association, among others.
Preston raised more than $511,000 for his reelection bid.
