San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan received an endorsement from former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
San Francisco Chronicle
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi endorsed San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan in the race to succeed her in the House Monday, saying Chan is “the leader best prepared to carry forward the fight for San Francisco in the Congress of the United States,” according to a preview of a video endorsement set to be released Tuesday.
“I know and love this district. I know the Congress. And I know Connie,” Pelosi says in the endorsement video, appearing next to Chan in front of an image of the Golden Gate Bridge. The Chronicle obtained a snippet of the video on Monday. The full video will be released Tuesday.
Chan and two other Democrats, state Sen. Scott Wiener and former congressional staffer Saikat Chakrabarti, are the top candidates in the race to replace Pelosi.
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The question of whether Pelosi would weigh in has been rumored for months, and she has stopped just short of backing Chan several times.
The nod may not help Chan overtake Wiener in the June 2 primary, but it might carry weight if the two face each other in the general election. More immediately, it might help Chan edge Chakrabarti, a wealthy former tech executive and former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, into the general election.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, right, endorsed San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan, right, on Monday to succeed her in Congress.
Jess Lynn Goss/ For the S.F. Chronicle; Benjamin Fanjoy/For the S.F. Chronicle
Wiener led a May San Francisco Chronicle poll that found that likely primary voters across almost every demographic group preferred Wiener in the race. The survey found that 40% of respondents said that they either planned to vote for Wiener or leaned toward voting for him. Chan was in a statistical tie with Chakrabarti, with 18% and 17% of respondents choosing them, respectively. Former Republican Marie Hurabiell was in fourth place, at 5%, with 13% of respondents saying they would vote for another candidate.
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Chan and Pelosi share many of the same backers, particularly in organized labor. Chan has been endorsed by the California Labor Federation, the California Teachers Association and the National Nurses United. Wiener has been endorsed by the California Democratic Party.
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Chan visited with Pelosi during a recent trip to Washington, D.C., and Pelosi attended a campaign fundraiser hosted by Chan’s congressional supporters earlier this month.
“This endorsement is more than an adrenaline shot in the arm for Chan’s campaign,” said Sonoma State University professor of political science David McCuan.
Wiener said Monday that he has “tremendous respect for Speaker Emerita Pelosi and deep gratitude for everything she has done for our city and our country. Whoever wins in November will have giant stilettos to fill. It’s essential San Francisco send someone to Congress who, like Speaker Emerita Pelosi, has the ability to deliver for our city and for our country.”
Chakrabarti campaign spokesperson Tiffaney Bradley downplayed the endorsement Monday. “We’ve always known this race would would come down to voters, not endorsements,” she said. “While the other candidates in this race are focused on political insiders, we’ll continue talking directly with voters about the issues that matter most to them.”
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Chakrabarti entered the race as a challenger to Pelosi, before she announced she would not run for reelection, billing his candidacy as an opportunity for generational change. He has invested nearly $5 million of his own money into the campaign.
Pelosi announced in November that she would retire after 20 terms in Congress, including two stints as speaker of the House. She was the first woman to hold the role. San Francisco has not had an open race for the seat since Pelosi was elected in 1987.