Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi officially endorsed San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan on Monday in the increasingly contentious race to replace her in Congress, throwing her support behind a far-left candidate as she prepares to retire from the House seat she has held since 1987.
The late endorsement arrives as polling shows Chan locked in a tight contest for second place with former tech engineer Saikat Chakrabarti, while Democratic California state Sen. Scott Wiener remains the race’s frontrunner and best-known figure.
Pelosi framed Chan as the candidate most capable of continuing her political legacy in California’s 11th Congressional District, emphasizing both her personal relationship with Chan and her experience in Congress.
“I know and love this district. I know the Congress. And I know Connie,” Pelosi said while announcing the endorsement. “I’m proud to endorse Democrat Connie Chan and ask you to join me in electing her to Congress.”
If elected, Chan would take over a seat Pelosi has occupied for nearly four decades after first winning a special election in 1987.
Chan’s campaign platform has focused heavily on progressive priorities. According to her campaign website, she has pledged to fight what she describes as “inhumane abuses” carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. She has also highlighted her close ties to labor unions, promising stronger worker protections, higher wages, and efforts to combat wage theft.
The candidate additionally expressed support for sex-change procedures and related medical interventions for transgender-identifying individuals, positions that continue to divide voters nationally as cultural debates intensify across the country.
Pelosi praised Chan as a defender of what she called “fundamental freedoms and democratic values,” while also arguing that Chan’s background as a Chinese immigrant would bring a “unique perspective” to Washington.
“At a time when fundamental freedoms and democratic values are under assault, we need a leader in Congress who is prepared to fight — forcefully and effectively,” Pelosi wrote in a letter to residents.
The endorsement lands at a turbulent moment in the race. Chakrabarti, who previously worked for Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and frequently criticized Pelosi during his time in progressive politics, has struggled through several difficult weeks on the campaign trail.
A tech-aligned super PAC supporting Wiener launched a wave of negative advertisements attacking Chakrabarti’s San Francisco roots, while Ocasio-Cortez notably declined to endorse her former aide despite repeated opportunities to do so.
Meanwhile, Wiener’s candidacy has created friction within Pelosi’s political orbit ever since he launched his campaign only weeks after Pelosi announced her retirement plans last November.
Wiener has drawn national attention during his time in the California Senate for legislation involving transgender medical treatments for minors, including measures related to puberty blockers and sex-change procedures. He also authored legislation signed into law by Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2020 that relaxed certain registration requirements for sex offenders who were no more than ten years older than their minor victims.
The race now highlights the deep ideological divisions inside modern Democratic politics, particularly in San Francisco, where candidates increasingly compete over who can advance the most progressive agenda. At the same time, the contest reflects growing tensions over how aggressively elected leaders should pursue cultural and political battles while voters continue grappling with broader concerns facing the country.
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