The board is expected to choose its next president in January 2027, once newly elected supervisors take their seats. The winner needs six votes from the 11-member board.

The presidency carries influence over how legislation moves through City Hall. The president assigns supervisors to committees, refers legislation to committees and can waive the usual 30-day hold on legislation. The president also becomes the city’s leader if something happens to the mayor.

Those powers can affect whether supervisors advance their policy priorities. The outcome could also shape the board’s relationship with Mayor Daniel Lurie, whose administration has had a generally cordial relationship with current Board President Rafael Mandelman.

That contrasts with the more strained relationship between the board and former Mayor London Breed. Former board presidents Aaron Peskin and Shamann Walton, both progressives, had notably frosty relationships with Breed.

The field and alliances could shift before the January vote. But the contest will help determine whether the board continues its comparatively cooperative dynamic with Lurie or moves toward a more adversarial relationship with the mayor’s office.