Manny Yekutiel, one of the four candidates running for San Francisco District 8 Supervisor, announced on Thursday, Oct. 1, that he would be suspending his campaign after an investigation by the San Francisco Standard
revealed new sexual assault allegations.
The investigation alleges that Yekutiel groped two men while dancing at a Pride event in 2023 and refused to stop even after the couple informed him they were monogamous, according to the San Francisco Standard. The SF Standard reported that he allegedly stopped only after one of the men pushed Yekutiel away.
In his announcement ending his campaign, Yekutiel denied the allegations and said some of the "things that are being said about me are fundamentally untrue."
"After a great deal of reflection, I have made the difficult decision to end my campaign for District 8 Supervisor," Yekutiel's announcement reads.
"I am not admitting to having assaulted anyone and some of the things that are being said about me are fundamentally untrue. But I am deeply sorry for any boundaries that I crossed. I’m going to take this time to work on myself."
Yekutiel previously overcame a similar allegation after Brad Joseph Chapin, a political activist, filed a police report alleging that Yekutiel had grabbed his genitals.
"He squeezed, and he yanked, and every time I tried to get away, he squeezed harder and yanked,” Chapin told KRON4. “It wasn’t the sexual parts that mattered so much as the intentional infliction of pain.”
The San Francisco Police Department launched an investigation into the allegations, but it filed no charges. Yekutiel denied the accusation and remained a front-runner in the race to represent the Castro District and Noe Valley on the Board of Supervisors.
Yekutiel then received the endorsement from major organizations and political figures like San Francisco's Democratic County Central Committee and San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, who co-founded the Civic Joy Fund with Yekutiel in 2023, a nonprofit aimed at revitalizing San Francisco's public events after the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, as these new allegations emerged, people and organizations began rescinding their endorsements.
“My endorsement is a statement of my confidence in someone’s character and leadership, and in light of the additional accounts reported today, I am withdrawing it. Coming forward is hard, and these survivors deserve to be heard and treated with dignity and respect," Lurie said in a statement.
Lurie also said he would not make another endorsement in District 8.
In addition to Lurie, several San Francisco Supervisors rescinded their endorsement of Yekutiel. Bilal Mahmood, San Francisco Supervisor for District 5; Alan Wong, San Francisco Supervisor for District 4; Danny Sauter, Supervisor for District 3; and Matt Dorsey, Supervisor for District 8.
"Accountability doesn't start with strangers. It starts with the people we know, the people we like, and the people we'd rather give the benefit of the doubt," Mahmood said in his statement.
"Too often, people in political power close ranks around their allies to protect them from being held accountable. As an elected leader, I have a responsibility to hold my friends, colleagues and peers to a higher standard."
Today I am withdrawing my endorsement of Manny Yekutiel for District 8 Supervisor.
— Bilal Mahmood 馬百樂 (@bilalmahmood) October 1, 2026
Accountability doesn't start with strangers. It starts with the people we know, the people we like, and the people we'd rather give the benefit of the doubt.
Too often, people in political power… pic.twitter.com/Hr242VY842
California Senator Scott Wiener and Connie Chan, Supervisor for District 1, who are running for the U.S. House in California District 11 to replace Nancy Pelosi in Congress, both denounced Yekutiel and called on him to suspend his campaign.
"While I have not made an endorsement in the District 8 Supervisor race, I believe Manny Yekutiel should suspend his campaign given the repeated allegations of sexual misconduct and the pattern they represent," Wiener said in a statement.
Chan was one of the few supervisors who did not endorse Yekutiel.
"San Franciscans deserve leaders they can trust, and those who have endorsed Manny - including the San Francisco Democratic Party - should rescind their support. Our commitment to survivors and accountability cannot take a back seat to protecting political allies," she said in her statement.
Enough is enough.
— Connie Chan 陳詩敏 (@conniechansf) October 1, 2026
Manny Yekutiel must immediately end his campaign for District 8 Supervisor. pic.twitter.com/doIP1wrHAr
Hours after Chan called, the San Francisco Democratic Party announced it will reconsider its endorsement in the District 8 Board of Supervisors race and hold a special meeting on October 11 to decide on a new endorsement.
"Our endorsements must reflect the values of the Democratic Party, and San Franciscans deserve to have confidence in the process behind them," San Francisco Democratic Party Chair Nancy Tung said in a statement.
"We owe it to our members and to voters to have thoughtful discussion and deliberation, especially in light of these additional allegations."
Although Yekutiel suspended his campaign, it's unclear how these allegations will affect the November results.
The San Francisco Department of Elections announced on Oct. 1 that the United States Postal Service began delivering vote-by-mail ballots to more than 500,000 registered voters in San Francisco.
Yekutiel's name will still appear on these ballots, and residents can drop off their ballot to one of the city’s 37 official ballot drop boxes, which open on Friday, Oct. 2.
Noe Padilla is a Northern California Reporter for USA Today. Contact him at npadilla@usatodayco.com, follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social. Sign up for the TODAY Californian newsletter or follow us on Facebook at TODAY Californian.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: San Francisco leaders withdraw endorsement of Manny Yekutiel
