SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 Nancy Pelosi will face a challenge from a prominent California lawmaker if she runs for reelection, adding to pressure on the former House speaker to step aside amid Democrats\u2019 widening intraparty generational divide.<\/p>\n
State Sen. Scott Wiener, a moderate Democrat by San Francisco standards, is expected to announce his campaign next week, according to three allies briefed on his plans and granted anonymity to discuss them. He has previously said he would wait<\/a> until Pelosi retired to run for the seat.<\/p>\n Pelosi, 85, hasn\u2019t said if she plans to run for another term in 2026. Wiener\u2019s abrupt foray into the race comes as Pelosi already faces a stronger-than-expected primary challenger in Saikat Chakrabarti, a wealthy former tech executive who previously worked as chief of staff to New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.<\/p>\n One person familiar with Wiener\u2019s thinking said he\u2019s eager to launch his campaign now to start fundraising, noting Chakrabarti has poured $700,000 of his money into the race.<\/p>\n Wiener\u2019s move will upend politics in a citadel of Democratic power while adding fuel to an uncomfortable generational divide between a party establishment and megadonors loyal to Pelosi and younger activists backing Wiener, 55, or Chakrabarti.<\/p>\n Wiener\u2019s campaign declined to comment on his plans, which were first reported by The San Francisco Standard<\/a>.<\/p>\n Pelosi spokesperson Ian Krager did not directly respond to questions about Wiener\u2019s expected candidacy. He said the former speaker is focused on campaigning for California Democrats\u2019 redistricting ballot measure, which aims to offset Republicans’ congressional gerrymander in Texas and other red states.<\/p>\n \u201cSpeaker Pelosi is fully focused on her mission to win the Yes on 50 special election in California on November 4th on the path to taking back the House for the Democrats,\u201d Krager said in a statement. \u201cShe urges all Californians to join in that mission.\u201d<\/p>\n Speculation about Pelosi\u2019s future has swirled in her hometown<\/a> since she stepped down from leadership after Democrats lost the House in 2022. But Pelosi, who was first elected in 1987, has remained in Congress longer than many local party leaders expected.<\/p>\n If Pelosi retires, other potential contenders for the seat include Christine Pelosi, her daughter and a longtime party organizer; city Supervisor Connie Chan, a leader of the city\u2019s progressive wing; and Jane Kim, a former supervisor and director of the left-leaning California Working Families Party.<\/p>\n