Dennis Herrera's Spokesman Backs Boss' Opponent in Mayoral Race

Who's been knocking on whose door?

​As the old adage warns, don't bite the hand that feeds you.

Matt Dorsey, loyal spokesman for City Attorney Dennis Herrera who is running for mayor, has been fiercely defending his candidate and longtime boss in the final days of the race. And that's why we found it curious and kinda humorous that he wrote a generous check to one of his boss' rivals in the race -- Supervisor John Avalos.

According to campaign records, Dorsey gave $100 to Avalos, the lone progressive in the mayor's race, on Sept. 28. But that's not to say Dorsey won't be voting for his boss -- which is probably a smart move if he wants to remain employed in Herrera's office after the election. In fact, Dorsey gave Herrera an even more generous donation of $500, proving he is a fan.

"Dennis Herrera is my No. 1 choice," Dorsey tells us. "But I also have a lot of respect and affection for John -- he is a good man, and I think he would do a good job as mayor."

At first glance, it does seem bizarre that Dorsey would write a check to his boss' opponent, but then again, this is San Francisco, where ranked-choice voting calls for all sorts of election oddities.

"It's not usual, but it's an indication of the strange new world of rank-choice voting we live in where you can work for one candidate, but donate to another because you like them," says Jim Ross, a local political consultant.

But what does Herrera make of Dorsey's donation to his opponent?

"He doesn't care," Dorsey insists. "There are lots of donors who give to other campaigns -- this is just a tenet of rank-choice voting."

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