For the first time in nearly four decades, San Francisco’s political stage is set for a dramatic contest as three distinct candidates vie to succeed Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi in the U.S. House of Representatives. Pelosi, who announced she would not seek reelection after 38 years in Congress, leaves behind a legacy marked by historic legislative victories and an unmistakable imprint on both local and national politics, according to KQED. With her departure, the city’s voters are preparing to decide which contender will inherit a seat long seen as a bastion of progressive Democratic power and influence.
Pelosi’s decision not to run again, at age 85, has cracked open a race that promises to be the most spirited since 1987, when she first won the seat in a crowded field. Her career, as noted by KQED, includes groundbreaking achievements such as leading the passage of the Affordable Care Act and steering the House through turbulent times. Brian Hanlon, co-founder and CEO of California YIMBY, described her as “the most effective speaker of the modern era, a legendary political thinker and strategist.” The question now, he said, is, “Who is San Francisco going to put in this seat?”
The answer will come from a field of three leading candidates, each representing a different slice of San Francisco’s political spectrum and each with their own vision for the city’s future in Congress. The contenders are Connie Chan, San Francisco Supervisor for District 1; Scott Wiener, State Senator; and Saikat Chakrabarti, a software engineer and political activist.
Connie Chan, 47, has built her campaign around her personal story as a first-generation immigrant from Hong Kong. Representing the Richmond District and other northern neighborhoods, Chan has leaned into her experiences to advocate for immigrant communities, especially against what she describes as the harsh realities imposed by Trump-era immigration enforcement. “As a first-generation immigrant, I have the lived experience, understanding the challenges that immigrant community faces, and most definitely during this time, when we see the Trump administration sending ICE agents to our streets and also in courtroom, firing our immigration court judges so that they can detain our immigrants illegally,” Chan told KQED. “That is, first and foremost, one of our top priorities.”
Chan’s record on the Board of Supervisors is also defined by her opposition to certain housing and park measures. She pushed back against Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Family Zoning Plan, which would allow denser housing in traditionally single-family neighborhoods like the Richmond. She also opposed a measure to close part of the Great Highway for park use, advocating instead for voters to decide the issue again. Despite her local roots and union support, Chan faces fundraising challenges as she steps onto a citywide stage for the first time.
Scott Wiener, 55, brings a contrasting profile as a prolific legislator and a champion of housing reform in California. In his eighth year in Sacramento, Wiener has authored landmark bills to increase housing construction and was recently named the most effective member of the California State Senate by the nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking, a joint project of the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University, according to KQED. Wiener, who is openly gay, says it is “definitely time” for the city’s LGBTQ+ community to elect one of its own to Congress. If successful, he would be the first openly gay representative from San Francisco in the House.
Wiener’s campaign is well-funded, having raised over $1 million by September 2025, and he boasts a record of legislative productivity—12 of his bills were signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in the past year alone. He has also authored a law banning ICE agents from wearing face coverings and has been a vocal supporter of trans students’ rights, a stance that has made him a frequent target of right-wing criticism. Wiener embraces this opposition, even featuring a “Scott’s MAGA Fan Club” on his campaign website that highlights attacks from prominent conservatives.
The third major candidate, Saikat Chakrabarti, 39, offers a decidedly outsider perspective. A former software engineer at Stripe who became wealthy before turning to political activism, Chakrabarti worked on Senator Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign and later served as chief of staff to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, helping to promote the Green New Deal. He entered the race before Pelosi’s retirement announcement, calling for generational change in Democratic leadership. “I think I’m the only one willing to challenge the Democratic party establishment,” Chakrabarti told KQED. “People know that the Democratic party needs a new direction, it needs new ideas and it needs solutions that are as big as the problems that we face. And that’s what I’m offering the voters.”
Chakrabarti, who is self-funding his campaign with personal wealth, has made affordability and housing a central theme, supporting bold proposals like building 800 units of housing above a Safeway in the Marina. He also stands out for making Palestinian rights a centerpiece of his campaign, declaring, “I’m opposed to military funding in Israel as long as the genocide continues.” This position sets him apart from his rivals in a district where foreign policy, especially regarding Israel and Gaza, is becoming increasingly contentious. Chan has also taken a strong stance, saying she would not support sending “weapons of war” to Israel and calling the situation in Gaza a human rights violation that she believes meets the legal definition of genocide. Wiener, who is Jewish, has tried to balance support for Israel’s right to exist with opposition to its current war in Gaza, while also speaking out against antisemitism.
Despite their differences, all three candidates have pledged vigorous opposition to Trump-era policies such as ICE raids, mass deportations, and federal budget cuts. Affordability—whether in housing, health care, or child care—is a shared mantra, with each candidate offering their own approach to tackling the city’s well-documented cost-of-living crisis. Chan criticizes what she calls Wiener’s “Sacramento version of affordable housing,” while Chakrabarti claims to be even more pro-housing than Chan.
The race is also shaped by the shadow of Pelosi herself. While it is unclear whether she will endorse any candidate, she has appeared at recent public events with Chan, suggesting a degree of alignment. An endorsement from the San Francisco Democratic Party could provide a crucial boost, but it requires 60% delegate support—a high bar in a divided field. Local party chair Nancy Tung, from the party’s moderate wing, told KQED, “It’s within the realm of possibility that Scott Wiener would actually get the endorsement. I think he’s probably got the best chance.”
As San Francisco heads toward its June 2026 primary, voters will decide which two candidates advance to the November general election. With the city’s deep Democratic roots, the real battle is unfolding now, as each candidate tries to define the future of a district long shaped by Nancy Pelosi’s formidable presence. The outcome will not only determine who represents San Francisco in Congress but also signal the direction of Democratic politics in one of the nation’s most influential cities.
As the campaign heats up, San Francisco’s voters face a choice that will echo far beyond the city’s borders—a testament to the enduring weight of Pelosi’s legacy and the evolving face of progressive leadership in America.
