Mapping the Money in the
DA Chesa Boudin Recall

The campaign to recall DA Chesa Boudin has raised twice as much money as those trying to stop the recall, though the latter have attracted far more individual donors, according to campaign finance data released Friday.

San Francisco voters will decide on June 7 whether to oust District Attorney Chesa Boudin, the second local recall of the year to garner national attention.

The Standard mapped out the contributor data to paint a picture of who the two sides are relying on for support.

In contrast to February's school board recall, where the embattled school board members stayed mostly silent and away from media, Boudin is running hard: he's established his own campaign offices, gone on a national media offensive and raised significant funds.

But the pro-recall folks have the Neighbors for a Better San Francisco PAC—comprised of wealthy San Francisco businesspeople who also backed the school board recall—which has contributed over $2 million, including at least $600,000 from Republican billionaire William Oberndorf. Boudin also has wealthy people on his side, including Kaitlyn Krieger, wife of the Instagram founder, and other tech executives.

Conservative or Moderate Areas Support the Recall While Progressive Areas Are Against the Recall

Hover over the interactive map to see how many recall contributors there are in each ZIP code.

In the maps above, we see where support is coming from within San Francisco. For the pro-recall groups, support is coming in from the northern parts of the city, particularly ZIP code 94118, which includes the wealthy, residential Presidio Heights and Lake Street districts, and the Marina and Pac Heights. Unsurprisingly, the anti-recall money is coming from the more progressive areas, including Bernal Heights and the Haight, the two most progressive districts in San Francisco.

Pro-Recall Groups Raised More Money, but More People Contributed Against the Recall

The recall supporters have raised almost twice as much money as the anti-recall group, and both groups out-raised Boudin's initial 2019 campaign, when he raised about $800,000. It's worth noting, though, that unlike candidates, recall committees can raise unlimited sums from each of their contributors.

When we look at the number of reported contributors, we can see that the anti-recall has more reported contributors at a lower average amount, indicating more grassroots support.

To get a more complete picture of small dollar donors (because campaigns only need to disclose contributions over $100), The Standard asked two main pro and anti-recall committees to self-report their total contributors inclusive of sub-$100 contributions. The yes-on-recall main committee said it has 1,273 total contributors, while the no-on-recall main committee said it had 2,820 total contributors. That would indicate that the no-recall side has over 1,000 small-dollar donors, greatly eclipsing the number on the pro-recall side.

Most No-on-Recall Money Coming From Outside San Francisco

The newly released data show that a much higher percentage of the no-recall contributors are coming from outside San Francisco and California–much of it through ActBlue, an online aggregator for left-leaning political contributions. One way to interpret this would be that there is a national cohort of people who believe in progressive prosecution, and no comparable nationwide "tough on crime" movement. But even though there is a high percentage of contributions outside San Francisco, on the aggregate there are more anti-recall than pro-recall contributors in San Francisco.

78% of Those Contributing to the Recall Are Based in San Francisco

51% of Those Giving Money to Oppose the Recall Are From Out of Town

School Board Recall Donors Showed a Similar Breakdown to Boudin Pro-Recall Donors

For the school board recall, the majority of supporters were inside SF, with similarly tiny proportions from outside California.

Where in the U.S. is Support Coming From?

The maps show that the no-recall funds are flowing in from other left-leaning states, notably New York, Massachusetts and Illinois. The pro-recall contributions are coming by and large from California.

Hover over the interactive map to see how many recall contributors there are in each state.

About the Data

The Standard downloaded publicly available campaign finance data for the DA recall on April 29, 2022. The information can be found on the San Francisco Ethics Commission website here. When individuals or entities contribute to political campaigns, committees and recalls, they must fill out information that becomes publicly available. Currently, that information is available for those contributing at least $100 total to the recall or anti-recall before April 23, 2022 (though the committees may optionally make disclosures for smaller contributors as well). This information is available within 24 hours for contributions above $1,000. Additional information came directly from the main recall committees: No on Prop H, Friends of Chesa Boudin Opposing the Recall and Safer SF Without Boudin.

This article has been revised to clarify the interpretation of what the significant number of anti-recall donors outside San Francisco means.