SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Former San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman will not run to be San Diego's next mayor.
Zimmerman made the announcement Tuesday at National University, where she has accepted a leadership consulting position. Zimmerman, a registered Independent, would have been the first household non-Democrat to enter the race.
"My passion is law enforcement, not politics," she said. "I will not be a candidate for mayor in 2020."
Mayor Kevin Faulconer, a Republican, is termed out next year.
So far, City Councilwoman Barbara Bry and State Assemblyman Todd Gloria, both Democrats, have filed papers with the City Clerk, allowing them to fundraise.
"Barbara Bry's main platform is that, unlike Todd Gloria, she's going to paint him as a lifelong politician and that she's a businesswoman. Todd Gloria's going to paint himself that he was interim mayor, so he's already been in the job and he can do a job better than anybody else," said Political Analyst John Dadian.
Next year, California will move its primary up to March 3, meaning there is less time to raise money. Environmental Attorney Cory Briggs has announced he is running, but has not filed papers.
Still missing from the list of household candidates - any Republican.
"There's none out there that have made any serious noise," Dadian said.
A key reason - the latest registration numbers show 310,662 Democrats in the city of San Diego, versus 162,733 Republicans. Plus, registered nonpartisans outnumber G.O.P voters by nearly 100,000.
Still, Tony Krvaric, who chairs the San Diego Republican Party, said the search is on for a fiscally conservative candidate - the sooner the better.
