Let's be real: the race to fill Pelosi's seat is the single most consequential local contest this cycle, and the governor of California — a man who built his entire political career in San Francisco — claims he just hasn't been following it. That's not neutrality. That's cowardice dressed up as indifference.

The race itself has been a spectacle. Tech entrepreneur Saikat Chakrabarti, the former chief of staff to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has poured millions of his own dollars into the campaign and still finds himself in a dead heat. As one local put it, "It's hilarious to me that Chakrabarti has spent millions of dollars of his own money to be tied with … Chan." His canvassing operation has been so aggressive that one SF resident reported buzzing in what they thought was a UPS delivery driver only to find "a pair of Saikat canvassers" at their door. When your campaign strategy is indistinguishable from a package delivery scam, things might not be going according to plan.

Meanwhile, the frontrunner appears to be the candidate who's already won citywide — three times, by growing margins. As another local observer noted, this "definitely wasn't the obvious result from the start." Shocking that name recognition and a proven track record beat a deep wallet and a borrowed brand.

So why is Newsom ducking? Probably because there's no safe play. Endorse the progressive outsider and alienate the establishment. Back the establishment pick and irritate the progressive base he's been courting nationally. Stay quiet and… well, here we are.

But here's the thing: voters deserve to know where their governor stands. Newsom has never been shy about inserting himself into national debates — gun control, immigration, climate policy. But when it comes to who will represent his city in Congress? Radio silence.

That's not leadership. That's calculation. And San Franciscans deserve better than a governor who conveniently goes blind whenever the political math gets tricky.