More love for Leno in state Senate race

San Francisco’s political elite continue to abandon embattled state Sen. Carole Migden sending more endorsements to her upstart challenger, termed-out 13th District Assemblyman Mark Leno.

Joe Alioto VeroneseOn Monday, Leno was endorsed by San Francisco Police Commission member Joe Alioto Veronese, an early Democratic rival of Leno’s against Migden before pulling out of the race on March 7 after about a year of pre-primary campaigning.

“This is a little strange for me standing behind this sign,” said Alioto Veronese, gesturing to a Leno-for-senate placard.

At the City Hall press conference, Leno ignored the incumbent Migden as a viable candidate in the June 3 primary and focused on his Democratic rival in the state senate district’s northern half of Marin and Sonoma counties.

“This has now become a two-person race according to just about every poll that is out at this time,” Leno said, according to a video posted on his campaign’s YouTube channel. “It’s a race between Joe Nation, former assemblyman from Marin County, and me.”

Alioto Veronese owns a Sonoma County vineyard and thus is able to campaign for Leno where he is vulnerable to Joe Nation’s Sonoma/Marin base, saying, “We need to make sure that we beat the Marin County guy.”

Alioto Veronese brings more of the Alioto side of City politics to the assemblyman’s campaign since his grandfather was Mayor Joseph Alioto and his comely cousin is Michaela Alito-Pier, currently on the S.F. Board of Supervisors. Both owe part of their political careers to Mayor Gavin Newsom, a Leno endorser.

Other new Leno endorsers on Monday included S.F. Supervisors Sean Elsbernd and Bevan Duffy plus San Francisco school board president (and Green Party member) Mark Sanchez, City Assessor/Recorder Phil Ting, the California Nurses Association and California Teachers Association.

Migden’s 3rd District seat won’t see her termed out until 2012 but she was not endorsed for re-election last month at the California Democratic Party convention in San Jose. She also must pay a $350,000 campaign violation fine levied against her by the Fair Political Practices Commission and also faces a $9 million lawsuit alleged campaign finance violations. Plus Midgen received two years probation last year on a reckless driving charge.