District Attorney Brooke Jenkins leads in early results

District Attorney Brooke Jenkins is leading in the race to maintain her seat, collecting 47.96% of the vote, per preliminary results from San Francisco's Department of Elections as of Tuesday evening.

The candidates: Incumbent Brooke Jenkins and her opponent Joe Alioto Veronese are widely considered the more moderate candidates, while John Hamasaki skews progressive.

• SF Mayor London Breed appointed Jenkins to the role in July following the recall of progressive DA Chesa Boudin.
• Both Hamasaki and Alioto Veronese are civil rights attorneys who formerly served on the city's police commission, the body that oversees the San Francisco Police Department.

By the numbers: So far, Hamasaki has collected 34.06% and Alioto Veronese 13.13%.

Why it matters: San Franciscans are divided over crime and policing, and the DA decides whether to file criminal charges against someone accused of a crime, along with the severity of those indictments.

• While Jenkins and Alioto Veronese have signaled a "tough on crime" stance, Hamasaki has emphasized the need to address public safety while also "respecting the due process rights of people that are charged with crimes."

Between the lines: As the public face of the Boudin recall effort, Jenkins has been mired in controversy since her appointment due to the firing of staffers and receiving over $100,000 from a nonprofit linked to Boudin's recall. Before leaving her role as assistant DA, Jenkins reportedly sent sensitive police reports to a colleague's personal computer.

What's next: The winner will serve through January 2024, the end of Boudin's term.

• Then we'll do this over again in November 2023 when San Franciscans vote for a full-term DA. If voters pass Prop H, however, we would vote for the next DA in 2024 and the winner of Tuesday's election would remain in office through January 2025.