State Senate battle between Kim, Wiener moves to ‘Pokémon Go’
Here is the latest proof of “Pokémon Go’s” cultural reach: Two San Francisco politicians battled each other Saturday to see who could catch the most creatures that don’t really exist.
The contest involved Jane Kim and Scott Wiener, two supervisors now running for the state Senate seat that represents San Francisco. And if the face-off was all in fun, the way it was conducted offered a glimpse of the two candidates’ campaign styles — as well as the extent to which the smartphone craze has permeated the local landscape.
“You don’t realize how many people are playing until you’re part of it,” Weiner said as he waited for the results to be tallied from the two-hour quest. “I’d be near groups of people staring at their phones, sneak a peek and then realize it’s ‘Pokémon.’”
Kim challenged Wiener to the contest not long after the “Pokémon Go” app, created by local firm Niantic, became a frothy sensation in a summer dominated by more ominous news. Wiener had rebuffed other challenges from the Kim campaign, such as a pledge to avoid “defamatory attacks,” but agreed to this one promptly.
Saturday, as the supervisors waited to begin their competition at the 24th Street BART Station in the Mission, they spun their own versions of past challenges. Wiener dismissed them as “political grandstanding,” while Kim called her initiatives “serious challenges.”
http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/State-Senate-battle-between-Kim-Wiener-moves-to-8788228.php
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