To run for Nancy Pelosi’s congressional seat, it helps to know where you stand on Nancy Pelosi.

The June 2 primary to fill California’s 11th Congressional District seat, which encompasses San Francisco, features a front-runner who reveres Pelosi, a local politician who secured her surprise endorsement and a progressive challenger who has no problem critiquing her.

Analysts say the sway the longtime California congresswoman exerts over the race reflects the outsized power she wields in the Democratic Party — even as she is on her way out of elected office. 

“This is not a person who’s about to drift off into the sunset,” said Larry Gerston, a California-based political analyst and professor emeritus at San Jose State University. “The sun might follow her.” 

Polls show state Sen. Scott Wiener leading the field. Wiener has deep roots in Bay Area politics. He served on San Francisco’s board of supervisors before winning a state senate seat in 2016, and his congressional campaign has been endorsed by the California Democratic Party. Many in the Democratic establishment viewed him as Pelosi’s heir apparent. 

Pelosi instead opted to endorse Connie Chan, a member of the board of supervisors who has the backing of Sen. Adam Schiff, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and the Working Families Party. Chan is polling in second or third place, neck and neck with Saikat Chakrabarti, a former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and co-founder of the left-wing Justice Democrats. Under California’s “jungle” primary system, the top two leading vote-getters on Tuesday will advance to the general election, regardless of party.

Unlike Wiener, who publicly praised Pelosi even after she endorsed his rival, and Chan, who appeared alongside the congresswoman in her endorsement video, Chakrabarti has touted his disagreements with her — including her opposition to Medicare for All and a ban on congressional stock trading — as part of his platform. 

“I decided to run for Congress against Nancy Pelosi because we need a new generation of leadership to deliver a fundamentally better life for ALL — not just stop Trump,” he said on X. 

But even Chakrabarti and the Justice Democrats, which is backing his campaign, cannot seem to entirely avoid praising her. 

“We can absolutely celebrate the successes she’s had in her trailblazing career,” Justice Democrats spokesperson Usamah Andrabi told MS NOW. “And we should absolutely be a party and have leaders who are willing to criticize that leadership and willing to push for more and fight harder.” 

Chakrabarti has earned the backing of Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., two members of the House’s so-called squad of progressives. But his bid to replicate the nationwide trend of younger progressive Democrats challenging more moderate members of the party establishment has faced some hurdles: His opponents have repeatedly noted that Ocasio-Cortez has not endorsed him and that he has spent several million of his own money in the race, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Chakrabarti made his fortune as a founding engineer of the financial services software company Stripe. He has said he will spend whatever it takes to win.

Andrabi defended Chakrabarti’s massive self-funding as a righteous use of his wealth. “We welcome class traitors who are working to advance our movement and not the interests of the wealthiest few in this country,” he said.

Wiener and Chan, meanwhile, have positioned themselves as progressives ready to take on the Trump administration — and have campaigned on far less cash. Wiener has raised $3.9 million, including large amounts from tech and cryptocurrency titans, while Chan has taken in less than $700,000, per FEC filings. 

The two have gone out of their way to praise Pelosi, even when asked to criticize her. At a recent debate where moderators asked the candidates to specify an issue they would handle differently than the congresswoman, Chan and Wiener praised her at length before pledging to support sanctuary cities and expand housing access, respectively — both issues that Pelosi has also supported. (Wiener eventually pointed to a so-called AI safety bill he authored in 2024, which Pelosi opposed.)

After Pelosi endorsed Chan, Wiener said he has “tremendous respect” for the congresswoman and “deep gratitude for everything she has done for our city and our country.” 

“Whoever wins in November will have giant stilettos to fill,” he said. 

Chan said she was “honored” to receive Pelosi’s endorsement. “Speaker Emerita Pelosi has shown by example what we can do when we stand together,” Chan said, “and we will now fight to make sure our beloved city remains a place of opportunity for all San Franciscans, and the conscience of our nation.”

Pelosi announced in November that she would retire at the end of her current term — a move analysts suggested contributed to the political genuflection from the field’s top contenders.

“Pelosi leaving of her own volition allows these candidates to honor her and to try to attach themselves, in degrees, to a very successful legacy,” Robb Korinke, a California political consultant, told MS NOW. 

Like Pelosi, who made history as the first female speaker of the House, each of the three candidates would make history if elected. If Wiener wins, he will be the first openly gay person to represent San Francisco in Congress; Chan or Chakrabarti, meanwhile, would be the first person of Asian descent to represent the district. 

In a later video endorsing Chan, Pelosi praised the hopeful’s experience in public service and background as an immigrant. (Chan was born in Hong Kong.) 

“As an Asian American immigrant woman, Connie’s story reflects the American dream, the hopes and the courage of so many families believing in opportunity, dignity and democracy,” Pelosi said.

Gerston, the analyst, characterized Pelosi’s backing of Chan as another way for her to both flex her power, by bucking expectations of who she would endorse, and secure her legacy as a mentor to women in politics.

Whether that will be enough to push Chan over the finish line, however, remains to be seen. 

Still, Gerston added, “You don’t want to ever underestimate Nancy Pelosi.”  

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