Openly Gay SF Supervisor Bevan Dufty To Run For Mayor In 2011

San Francisco City Supervisor Bevan Dufty has announced his bid to become San Francisco's first openly gay mayor. Via the Bay Area Reporter:

Supervisor Bevan Dufty, who will be termed out of his District 8 seat in January 2011, will officially declare his candidacy to be San Francisco's next mayor when he pulls papers to enter the race this morning, Thursday, September 24. He is the first person to do so for an election that is more than two years away. Dufty, 54, has made no secret of his desire to succeed Mayor Gavin Newsom, who will be termed out of office in January 2012. Should he be elected, Dufty would be the first openly gay person to be San Francisco's mayor. "Having worked 16 years in city government I have a lot of experience in addressing the day-to-day needs of people in our city," Dufty told the Bay Area Reporter during an exclusive interview at his Lower Haight home Sunday, September 20. "I am excited about being a leader of city government and creating a dynamism and responsiveness that will make people proud of their city."

Dufty's campaign will be run by Steve Hildebrand, Barack Obama's 2008 deputy campaign manager. Hildebrand has been extremely critical of Obama in recent weeks.

RELATED: I first met Dufty at last year's premiere of Milk and found it fascinating to sit behind him watching a movie about the murder of the man who had the job Dufty now holds.