By Erin SherbertMon., Jun. 27 2011 at 2:30 PM

The sheriff’s race is becoming increasingly more interesting to watch. First, we learned last week that Deputy David Wong, a veteran in the sheriff’s race, was fired by his boss, who happens to be endorsing Wong’s opponent. Now, the Examiner is reporting some more curious news that adds a little drama to the drama. Supervisor Sean Elsbernd snubbed his colleague Ross Mirkarimi and has chosen instead to endorse Paul Michael Miyamoto.

That alone doesn’t say much except that Elsbernd doesn’t think Mirkarimi has what it takes to be the county sheriff. But this endorsement, along with the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association support for Miyamoto, truly changes the landscape of the race

In other words, Mirkarimi shouldn’t be so quick to grab for his badge.

“I think Miyamoto can win if he gets the money to run a campaign,” says Jim Ross, a local political consultant. “That might be a challenge, but the Deputy Sheriffs have some resources and if they get behind him, Ross could be in trouble.”

All along, political pundits and City Hall denizens have assumed Mirkarimi would be the next sheriff. He has the name recognition and the money to back him up. But as Ross points out, he has never run a citywide campaign. The one place a candidate can get lots of resources is unions — they have money and the manpower to walk precincts.

The association isn’t exactly flush with cash. After all, it hasn’t been a huge player in politics over the last 20 years when Sheriff Michael Hennessey has remained unbeatable. But that doesn’t mean the union can’t raise money fast.

“It won’t be a cakewalk” for Mirkarimi, Ross says.

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