San Francisco, CA Politics: Is It Liberal or Conservative?

Election Results and Trends in San Francisco, CA

In the last Presidential election, San Francisco, CA voted predominantly Democrat, with 85.3% of voters casting their ballot for Biden, while 12.7% of voters in San Francisco voted for Trump, and other parties voting 2.0%. Based on these voting patterns, San Francisco is considered a very liberal city. Specifically, it ranks 2nd out of the most populated 333 cities in the United States in terms of liberalism based on the 2020 Presidential election results. Conversely, when looking at the conservative voting patterns in the 2020 election, San Francisco ranks 332nd out of the 333 most populated cities, indicating a relatively low conservative vote.

Presidential Elections Voting Trend

The last six Presidential election results (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) for San Francisco, CA are: D D D D D D

San Francisco has predominantly supported Democrat presidential candidates. The city consistently favored Bill Clinton (1996), Al Gore (2000), John Kerry (2004), Barack Obama (2008, 2012), Hillary Clinton (2016), and Joe Biden (2020). San Francisco's liberal voting pattern aligns with its long-standing Democrat-leaning ideology.

Local Elections

At the local/city level, San Francisco has also leaned towards liberal leadership, with Democrat mayors like Willie Brown (1996–2004), Gavin Newsom (2004–2011), Ed Lee (2011–2017), and London Breed (2018–present) shaping the city's governance. Progressive policies and social liberal stances characterize the local political scene.