Months after three serious rivals kicked off campaigns to replace Nancy Pelosi as San Francisco’s representative in Congress, and just 97 days before the June primary, a candidate who calls herself “an actual moderate” has entered the race.
Marie Hurabiell, 55, director of the political advocacy group ConnectedSF, is expected to announce her candidacy for Pelosi’s seat Thursday, aiming to appeal to centrist and right-leaning voters.
“I looked around and realized that there was no other viable moderate getting into the race,” she told The Standard on Tuesday. “I have decided that it’s the right thing to do.”
Pelosi’s retirement after nearly four decades in Congress opens a once-in-a-generation opportunity for a local politician with national aspirations. Three candidates are leading the field: state Sen. Scott Wiener, Supervisor Connie Chan, and tech founder Saikat Chakrabarti.
Wiener has long been considered a moderate locally, though his policies are seen as more liberal on the national level. Chan is viewed as a solid progressive, while Chakrabarti, who is closely tied to progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is a newcomer to San Francisco politics.
With the left lane gridlocked, Hurabiell sees an opportunity to veer to the right.
“The three current candidates in the race are essentially fighting for the same group of voters, and the rest of San Franciscans feel left out,” Hurabiell said. “People are begging for an actual moderate, an actual adult in the room to come forward.”
Rising profile
Protesters decried Hurabiell in flyers distributed outside ConnectedSF’s gala in November. | Source: Han Li/The Standard
“I switched four years ago, so I don’t know why we’re even still talking about this,” she said. “You know who else switched? Hillary Clinton was a Republican and then became a Democrat.”
ConnectedSF, which comprises 11 subgroups representing each of San Francisco’s supervisorial districts, is one of several moderate-leaning organizations, including GrowSF, Neighbors for a Better SF, and TogetherSF, that sprang up after the pandemic.
Hurabiell earns an annual salary of $240,000 as executive director of the group, which reported more than $2 million in revenue between 2021 and 2024, according to public documents (opens in new tab).
Hurabiell has been outspoken on issues related to public safety and public education, as well as in the west-side opposition to the closure of the Great Highway.
Hurabiell speaks in support of the recall of District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio. | Source: Thomas Sawano/The Standard
She declined to say whether she has discussed her candidacy with Lurie but noted that she has received positive feedback from like-minded residents who support the mayor.
“Our beautiful city is trending moderate at every tier of government,” she said. “I’m going to win in this race because San Francisco is sick of failed extremist progressives.”
In a statement, Wiener’s campaign said Hurabiell is a “MAGA Republican” pretending to be a Democrat to be taken seriously.
Chakrabarti’s campaign kept a friendly tone despite the political differences.
“We welcome everyone into the race. Marie is known as someone who speaks her mind and always keeps things interesting,” his campaign spokesperson Tiffaney Bradley said. “While our campaign will probably disagree on almost everything — what we have in common is that we know this city and this whole country needs change.”
Chan’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
The deadline to file for this congressional seat is March 11 (opens in new tab). The top two vote-getters in the June primary will advance to the November election.