Mark Williams

Humanist. SF-based. Into alt-rock music, movies, cooking, parks, and dogs.

[Mark Williams @markaustinwilli]

Why is this a story? I don't care if a candidate has tweets sympathetic to communism.

I care about whether they will deliver for the people and how they plan to do so.

[Mark Williams @markaustinwilli]

A $10M campaign loses by 20+ points, and the Political Director writes a 17-min essay blaming the press, moderates, and an AOC video. Zero self-reflection on the candidate or the internal campaign culture. Zero accountability from "leadership".

Pure consultant damage control.

[Nadia Rahman 駱雯 @nadiarahmansf]

Why didn’t Saikat Chakrabarti’s insurgent, anti-establishment campaign succeed in placing in the top two in California’s primary election earlier this month?

I was the campaign’s Political Director and this is what happened: 🧵

[Mark Williams @markaustinwilli]

@kane I think a big problem with self-funded candidates is they end up surrounded by a much of yes-men who can't tell them when there strategy is totally off the mark. Or don't care as long as the check clears.

Steyer and Chakrabarti are case studies.

[Mark Williams @markaustinwilli]

@nadiarahmansf @saikatc Nadia, respect your dedication, but we have to talk about the reality of this cycle.

​Substituting a $10M top-down corporate operation for organic community trust actively harms progressive organizing.

​We need real reflection on why this strategy was greenlit.

[Mark Williams @markaustinwilli]

@saikatc As a former supporter who wanted to believe in this mission, this video is incredibly disappointing. The buck stops with you, Saikat. The attacks worked because you didn’t show up for the community when it counted. Take some real accountability instead of just blaming the ads.

[Mark Williams @markaustinwilli]

@BahbwaWawa No one paid me to volunteer for Saikat. I did it because I believed in him, but the reality was deeply disappointing. I wanted voters to see the actual campaign, past the polished ads. Tonight's 14% shows San Francisco felt the exact same way.

[Mark Williams @markaustinwilli]

I volunteered for Saikat last year. When I tried to organize us to show up for SF Pride, his manager Zack Exley literally dismissed me for being "disruptive." They didn't show up. Wild to see out-of-state consultants use Harvey Milk for aesthetics when they skipped the community.

[Saikat Chakrabarti @saikatc]

San Francisco has led the fight for gay rights: from the Compton's Cafeteria Riots of 1966, to the election of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in California. This city has always pushed when the country wouldn't move.

In Congress, I promise to fight for the LGBTQ+ community every day. I will never turn my back on you, and will always do everything in my power to protect and further your rights. If politicians had a fraction of the courage this community has, our country would be a better place.

[Mark Williams @markaustinwilli]

Imagine spending $10M to buy political clout, bragging about 'the biggest field campaign in SF history,' and pulling a measly 14% of the early vote. Look behind the curtain. It was all smoke and mirrors to build a personal digital following. The community was just the backdrop.

[Mark Williams @markaustinwilli]

@sf_leilani If calling a candidate out on their hypocrisy is disruptive, I gladly claim the mantle. I will not be a pawn for a faux-progressive centimillionaire whose words don't match his actions.

[Mark Williams @markaustinwilli]

@saikatc You didn't even go to SF Pride last year. I volunteered on your campaign and your manager Zack Exley literally reprimanded me for being "disruptive" just because I pushed for us to attend. Don't tweet about Harvey Milk when your team treats local Pride like an inconvenience.

[Mark Williams @markaustinwilli]

@saikatc Index funds? You’ve dumped $10M of your own wealth into this race. That massive nest egg was built on private equity profits from Blackstone and KKR. Moving it to an index fund doesn't change the fact that you are using Wall Street wealth to buy a local primary. Pure hypocrisy.

[Mark Williams @markaustinwilli]

@Ethanfracisco 100% agree gatekeeping residency is exhausting. But does his campaign seriously think they can treat a congressional seat like a startup user-acquisition funnel?

[Armand Domalewski @ArmandDoma]

I really need a data analyst job based in SF. I know SQL well + some Python. I’ve done a variety of types of data analytics over the course of my career but my primary experience is in RevOps/BI. If you can’t hire me, could you please RT for visibility?

https://t.co/8FMqC5kJ5K

[Governor Gavin Newsom @CAgovernor]

We should all feel a deep sense of grief and outrage at the terrible violence that took place in Utah today. Charlie Kirk's murder is sick and reprehensible, and our thoughts are with his family, children, and loved ones.

I knew Charlie, and I admired his passion and commitment to debate. His senseless murder is a reminder of how important it is for all of us, across the political spectrum, to foster genuine discourse on issues that deeply affect us all without resorting to political violence.

The best way to honor Charlie's memory is to continue his work: engage with each other, across ideology, through spirited discourse. In a democracy, ideas are tested through words and good-faith debate — never through violence.

Honest disagreement makes us stronger; violence only drives us further apart and corrodes the values at the heart of this nation.

[David Hogg 🟧 @davidhogg111]

Horrifying news that Charlie Kirk has been shot. Gun violence and political violence have to fucking stop. Charlie, his family, and all the students who had to witness the shooting are in my thoughts. We have disagreements, but we all agree something has to change.

[Mark Williams @markaustinwilli]

@Riley_Gaines_ How much can Trump bench Riley? Might want to look into that...

[Mark Williams @markaustinwilli]

San Francisco doesn't need the National Guard. Mayor Lurie has been doing a great job with homelessness and crime in the city.

Sending the National Guard here would be wasteful, asinine, and purely cynical. No more troops in our cities!

[Mark Williams @markaustinwilli]

A prime example of the slippery slope fallacy. Very disingenuous.

[Riley Gaines @Riley_Gaines_]

If you wish for President Trump to fail, you wish for America to fail. And if you wish for America to fail, you're a domestic terrorist.

[Mark Williams @markaustinwilli]

Plenty of sunscreen, tons of water, and all the high school Spanish I could remember were essential for a great weekend canvassing for @dejafoxx and a new generation of leadership in Tucson! ☀️ It's time for Gen Z to show our power!