District 8 Candidates Form Ranked-Choice Alliance
Gary McCoy and Darshini Patel are urging supporters to rank each other second in the upcoming supervisor race.
Updated on Sept. 25, 2026 in Elections
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District 8 voters are seeing a new strategy in the supervisor race as candidates Gary McCoy and Darshini Patel have launched a ranked-choice voting alliance. The partnership encourages their respective bases to list the other candidate as their second choice on the November ballot.
Why it matters
The alliance aims to consolidate voter support to help either McCoy or Patel clear the 50 percent threshold required for a win. It remains to be seen if the strategy will successfully pull enough redistributed votes to overcome opponent Manny Yekutiel.
Candidates need to secure 50 percent of the vote to win outright under the city's ranked-choice system. The impact of the alliance on redistributed votes remains unknown.
The players
Gary McCoy
A District 8 supervisor candidate and former aide to Nancy Pelosi.
Darshini Patel
A District 8 supervisor candidate, former tech worker, and presidential campaign staffer.
Manny Yekutiel
A District 8 supervisor candidate who owns a local political cafe and event space.
The details
Under the current agreement announced on Friday, supporters of former Nancy Pelosi aide Gary McCoy and former tech worker Darshini Patel are encouraged to rank the other candidate second. The strategy specifically targets the redistribution process, where candidates with the fewest votes are eliminated and their ballots are reallocated to secondary choices. This maneuver contrasts with the platform of competitor Manny Yekutiel, who has signaled support for police surveillance and market-rate housing projects.
Timeline
Friday: Gary McCoy announced the alliance in an official statement.
Across the Bay
This move leverages the mechanics of San Francisco's ranked-choice voting system to consolidate voter bases. It follows a pattern of tactical alliances that candidates often use to cross the 50 percent threshold in high-stakes district contests.
Voters in the Castro, Noe Valley, and surrounding neighborhoods within District 8 will see this endorsement reflected in the campaign messaging of both candidates. You will need to decide how to rank your choices when your ballot arrives.
The takeaway
The alliance highlights how ranked-choice voting rewards candidate coordination in tight multi-candidate fields. Voters should watch for how this shift affects the secondary rankings of moderate voters who might otherwise favor Manny Yekutiel.
Further reading
You can find more background on local races at San Francisco Elections.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Mission Local.
Live Poll
Do you support candidates forming voting alliances to influence ranked-choice election outcomes in your area?
