U-High alumnus elected District Attorney of San Francisco
Chesa Boudin at his campaign’s headquarters in San Francisco celebrates his victory with a group of his supporters.
November 10, 2019
A U-High alumnus has been elected San Francisco district attorney.
Chesa Boudin, who spoke at the 2019 U-High graduation, beat his nearest opponent by 2,439 votes. The election was Nov. 5, but California’s high number of absentee ballots and the use of ranked-choice voting meant the winner was not determined until Nov.9.
Mr. Boudin declared victory on Nov. 9 following the concession of his incumbent opponent, Suzy Loftus, who was widely backed by the California Democratic establishment.
In an interview with the Midway in June, Mr. Boudin credited the Laboratory Schools with giving him the support that he needed to be able to succeed, particularly for building a foundation for his life.
He said, “The critical thinking, the independence and the ethical foundation I learned at Lab school for how I approach problems and relationships I hope will continue to serve me well as I embark on a challenging political journey.”
Formerly an activist and public defender, Mr. Boudin ran as a progressive candidate whose agenda attracted the attention and eventually the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) and Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx.
Mr. Boudin made the most of his opportunities at Lab. He joined activities such as Model UN, gaining valuable experience, and took advantage of things like the geography exam in Susan Shapiro’s Early World History class which he was interested in due to his love of world travel.
Mr. Boudin challenged himself and his class to have everyone get an A or higher on the geography exam — all but one of his classmates succeeded.
