Prior to serving as interim San Francisco district attorney, Loftus was president of the San Francisco Police Commission and served as General Counsel of the California Department of Justice. She also served as Assistant Attorney General under Kamala Harris. Loftus went on to serve as CEO of the Center for Youth Wellness, a non-profit family health and wellness center in the India Basin neighborhood of San Francisco.[4] Since 2023, Loftus has been the TikTok's head of U.S. Trust and Safety.[5]
San Francisco elections utilize a ranked-choice voting system, where candidates who receive the fewest votes are eliminated until a winner is selected.[7] Loftus lost to Boudin in a close race, receiving 49.17 percent of votes cast to his 50.83 percent.[8] Loftus continued to serve in an interim basis until Boudin was sworn in on January 8, 2020.[9]
Loftus was a candidate for a seat on the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee. The election, coinciding with California's presidential primary, was held on March 3, 2020, and open to registered Democrats and "no party preference" voters who choose the Democratic ballot.[10]