Dr. Jennifer Campbell has joined the District 2 City Council race, having filed her paperwork in late August.
A professor of integrated medicine, Campbell was also the Regional Director of the California Democratic Party.
District 2, of course, includes Ocean Beach and Point Loma and much of the beach areas.
Campbell joins four other challengers to incumbent and Republican Lorie Zapf, environmental attorney Brian Pease, former Chargers executive Jordan Beane, real estate broker Daniel Smiechowski, and veteran Joshua Tomolak.
Dorian Hargrove at the San Diego Reader wrote:
Democratic challengers see November 2018 as a chance to gain more Democratic seats on San Diego’s city council. According to the registrar of voters, there are nearly 9000 more Democrats registered in the district, which includes Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, and Point Loma.
Campbell has spoken out against Mayor Faulconer and his supporters. She campaigned for Faulconer’s opponent, city councilmember David Alvarez, in 2014.
“Don’t be fooled by Faulconer ads! He is a Republican and his record shows he votes on the side of the Republicans all the time,” Campbell wrote in a Clairemont Democratic Party newsletter in 2014.
“He was hand picked to run for mayor by Doug Manchester. Yes, that guy who gave at least $100,000 to defeat gay marriage in California. That guy who bought the Union Tribune and 8 other local newspapers as well as controlling much of the television news coverage in San Diego, and that guy who funds the Lincoln Club. We won’t mention his personal code of ethics.”
While Zapf is outnumbered in terms of Democratic challengers, there is no question she will have a far superior war chest. As of July 28, Zapf has raised nearly $130,000 since the beginning of the year.
Even with all her monied-up warchest, Zapf walks a tight-rope. On one hand, she has to appease her fairly liberal constituency in District 2 and then also appease the Republican establishment, her political parent.
Campbell – far from a household name in District 2 – has more political savvy and connections than the other Democrats. She is also, obviously, the only woman running so far against Zapf.
