What’s next for Nancy Pelosi’s seat?
Rep. Nancy Pelosi had made it clear she would not announce any decision about her congressional seat until after voters weighed in on Proposition 50 — and she stayed true to her word. Now, several candidates have already thrown their names into the ring for her seat. It’s a rare opportunity to compete for an open congressional seat, especially one long held by such a powerful political figure.
SAN FRANCISCO – The news that Nancy Pelosi will retire after nearly 40 years in Congress has created speculation about who will fill her seat, with some asking whether a former San Francisco Mayor might throw their hat in the ring.
London Breed, who held the city’s top office from 2018 to 2025, told KTVU she is seriously considering a run for Nancy Pelosi’s house seat.
Breed stressed that she has not made any decisions but is having conversations with people, including San Franciscans, about their thoughts. She said she wants to continue working in public service and serving San Francisco.
Breed’s time as mayor
The backstory:
Breed became the mayor of San Francisco following the death of her predecessor, Ed Lee. The then-president of the board of supervisors, Breed briefly served as acting mayor, and was elected to serve the remainder of Lee’s term.
She steered the city through the COVID-19 pandemic, taking decisive action early on to shut down the city, a move she said saved lives.
Because of the pandemic, Breed said she grappled with a new economic reality, trying to reshape the city in the post-pandemic era.
In reflecting on her time in office, she said among her proudest accomplishments was cutting red tape, and transforming a city that was slow to change into a city of “yes.”
Other contenders
Dig deeper:
Two Democrats had already announced plans to unseat Pelosi well ahead of her announcement on Thursday.
State Senator Scott Wiener announced plans last month to run for Pelosi’s seat. Wiener was first elected to the state Senate in 2016, and has made a name for himself by taking on policy issues such as increasing housing density and securing funding for city transit.
If elected, he would be the first openly gay person to represent San Francisco in Congress.
Software engineer and political activist Saikat Chakrabarti announced last year that he intended to run against Pelosi in 2026.
Chakrabarti was a founding engineer at payment processing company Stripe, and was a top campaign adviser to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
He later served as Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff and as director of organizing technology for Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign.
He has never held public office.
The Source: Interview with former San Francisco Mayor London Breed, previous reporting on Nancy Pelosi and Breed.
San FranciscoCalifornia PoliticsLondon BreedNews