In the race for Pelosi’s seat, her popular political influence was a factor — but only one

Even when he came out, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) – 86 and retiring – took over.

Last month, in the final leg of the race to replace her, Pelosi endorsed Connie Chan, a San Francisco board member and a candidate who had struggled until then to gain power. The move apparently had an impact, as Chan dropped out of Tuesday’s November general election, according to the Associated Press.

Political observers were quick to note that Pelosi’s political influence is alive and well, as made clear Wednesday morning when Chan edged out the third-place finisher, tech billionaire and Democratic Alliance politician Saikat Chakrabarti, who has financed his campaign to the tune of nearly $10 million.

But in another way, the early results of the race also showed the limits of Pelosi’s influence – in the form of Sen. Scott Wiener, who as of Wednesday morning was the race leader, holding a double digit lead over Chan and Chakrabarti.

Wiener — a self-interested state attorney with a strong base in San Francisco, especially in the liberal bastion’s LGBTQ+ community — has long eyed the seat but held off running for years out of respect for Pelosi, a leading politician and one of the most powerful of her generation. She was the first woman ever to be appointed Speaker of the House in 2007 and oversaw both of President Trump’s first-term impeachments.

However, that changed in late October, when Wiener, 56, announced that he couldn’t wait any longer and would run this year. Her announcement came before Pelosi announced her own plans, amid the party’s backlash against gerontocracy and older women in office clinging to the old Democratic establishment, and it appeared to upset her.

In early November, shortly after California voters passed Proposition 50 to allow Democrats to redraw the state’s districts in favor of Democrats — a move she helped lead — the embattled Pelosi announced her retirement.

In that announcement, Pelosi thanked the voters of San Francisco for giving her ample room to be a fearless voice in Washington. He had not faced a serious electoral challenge since the Reagan administration. In his last race, in 2024, he won again with 81% of the vote.

Pelosi then waited until last month to endorse Chan as her successor.

Chan, 47, who was born in Hong Kong and moved to San Francisco with his family at the age of 13, was first elected to the board of directors in 2020, and has been the chairman of the budget committee since February 2023. Before winning the office, he was a Chinese interpreter and was an assistant for about 15 years to various politicians of the Democratic Alliance, including politicians from Baya of San Francisco. He said. Kamala Harris.

Some establishment figures, such as Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, also endorsed Chan.

Last week, Pelosi said she decided to weigh in and bring Chan back in part because, after spending years promoting women to executive positions, she has realized there aren’t enough of them now.

“It’s not that women were better than men; it’s that we should have women at the table,” she told NBC News.

At her election night party, Chan told the SF Standard that Pelosi’s endorsement “completely changed the landscape” of the race, dealing a “devastating blow” to her campaign.

But that punch, if it destroyed Chakrabarti’s campaign, wouldn’t have knocked out Wiener — who was on hand Tuesday night holding a few punches to address his fans.

“Tonight, San Franciscans sent a very clear message,” he said, according to the comments shared. “San Franciscans are ready for bold leadership, real results, and a new generation of leaders who are not afraid to fight the toughest battles our country faces.”

Wiener, who served on the San Francisco board of supervisors himself before winning election to the state Senate in 2016, said in this political age, “we can’t afford status quo politics.”

He said, “I will not go to Washington to sit in peace, protect the status quo, or wait for my turn.”

“I will fight tirelessly for Medicare for all, to build millions of homes, to make public transportation more accessible and reliable, for affordable clean energy, working families, civil rights, and democracy itself,” she said. “I will fight to protect our immigrant neighbors, LGBTQ people, reproductive freedom, and the rule of law — and to protect them from Donald Trump and MAGA extremism.”

Others, including many in the LGBTQ+ community, also cheered the strong showing from Wiener, who is gay and a long-time activist for LGBTQ+ rights. Kelley Robinson, president of the LGBTQ+ Human Rights Campaign, said her organization was “overjoyed.”

“We need more voices like Wiener in Washington. Not only is she expanding the number of openly LGBTQ+ members in Congress, she has a track record of impact and delivery for her constituents,” Robinson said. “We are happy to support him to win in November.”

With Tuesday’s meeting settled, a new head-to-head race begins for Pelosi’s seat — one that, given Chan and Wiener’s focus on pulling San Francisco into new territory, will be an even clearer test of her influence.