Republican City Councilman Scott Sherman files to run for mayor of San Diego

Republicans might finally have their candidate in the race to become San Diego's next mayor.

According to the city clerk's website, two-term San Diego City Councilman Scott Sherman filed papers to run for mayor late Wednesday afternoon, making him the first formidable Republican to enter the race.

Sherman, who represents District 7, which includes the neighborhoods of Mission Valley, Allied Gardens, Del Cerro and some of the city's other eastern suburban communities, did not respond to a phone call from Union-Tribune reporters Friday evening.

First elected in 2012 then re-elected in 2016, Sherman is termed out of his seat on city council next year.

A lifelong San Diegan who spent his time prior to elected office building a small insurance business, Sherman's entrance could greatly shake up the mayoral race by giving San Diego Republicans their first viable candidate with the March primary less than a 100 days away.

So far 12 candidates are running to replace termed-out Republican Mayor Kevin Faulconer, but only three have seriously distinguished themselves or raised significant funds. All three of those candidates, Assemblyman Todd Gloria, Councilwoman Barbara Bry and community activist Tasha Williamson, are Democrats.

Gloria and Bry have been the clear front runners in the race, creating a real possibility that Republicans would be shutout of the race prior to the November 2020 runoff.

The top two finishers in the March primary, irrespective of party, advance to the runoff.

Demographics and a divided Democratic field should give Sherman a pathway through the primary. However, he'd likely face an uphill battle in the general election.

Both Gloria and Bry have been aggressively campaigning for months and have amassed impressive warchests. Gloria raised $640,000 from January through June and Bry raised $529,000 during those six months, according to the last campaign contribution disclosures that were submitted in July.

Democratic candidates also carry a significant demographic advantage into the mayoral race.

As of Nov. 1. registered Democrats outnumbered registered Republicans 322,229 to 162,475 in the city of San Diego. There are also 239,141 city residents who are registered as no party preference.

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