Turns out, that's harder than it sounds in a city where political discourse often devolves into competitive mudslinging. But with the race for Congress heating up between Scott Wiener, Connie Chan, and Saikat Chakrabarti, it's worth actually examining what each candidate brings to the table — on the merits.

Let's start with Wiener, who's clearly got the most concrete résumé to run on. Love him or not, the state senator has been one of Sacramento's most productive legislators. His housing bills alone have done more to chip away at California's insane permitting regime than most politicians accomplish in an entire career. As one SF resident put it, "He is regularly considered one of the top three most effective legislators in the state senate. That's a big deal." Another local noted simply, "I fundamentally think he does the job of advocating for the electorate, and for fair and sustainable policy."

That kind of pragmatic effectiveness matters — especially for a city that's spent years drowning in good intentions and bad execution.

Chan, meanwhile, offers the institutional progressive lane — years in SF politics with a regulatory bent. Chakrabarti, the former chief of staff to AOC, represents the bold-progressive-outsider play. Both have their constituencies, but neither has matched Wiener's legislative output, which is just a fact.

From a fiscal responsibility standpoint, the question voters should be asking isn't just "who shares my values?" but "who has actually delivered results without lighting money on fire?" Sacramento is a machine that eats idealists for breakfast. Having someone who knows how to work the levers — and has the receipts to prove it — counts for something.

Still, as one somewhat defeated local admitted, "I'm a little depressed because I dislike all the candidates." That's the real mood in SF politics right now: not enthusiasm, but resignation dressed up as civic duty.

Voters deserve better than a lesser-of-evils calculation. But in a city that keeps electing people who promise the moon and deliver paperwork, maybe "proven track record" is the most radical pitch of all.