{"id":556008,"date":"2025-11-07T22:48:24","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T22:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/556008\/"},"modified":"2025-11-07T22:48:24","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T22:48:24","slug":"this-is-a-once-in-a-generation-opportunity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/556008\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Mayor London Breed said she will \u201cseriously consider\u201d jumping into the congressional race to succeed Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who announced her retirement<\/a> Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had such a fierce leader in Nancy Pelosi \u2014 and when I say fierce, she not only was an incredible leader, but she always delivered for San Francisco,\u201d Breed told The Standard. \u201cAt the end of the day, I care about San Francisco and the people of San Francisco, and I want to be a part of the effort to deliver. This could be an extraordinary way to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

A San Francisco native who overcame tragedy and hardship<\/a> to become the city\u2019s first Black woman mayor, Breed served for the better part of seven years and led the city through the pandemic before losing last year\u2019s election<\/a> to Daniel Lurie. She was twice elected as mayor after receiving an interim appointment in late 2017 following the death of Ed Lee.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Breed said she was not considering a run for Congress until she received a slew of calls Thursday. Pelosi announced that morning that she will not seek another term after twice serving as speaker of the House and representing San Francisco for nearly four decades in the lower chamber of Congress.\u200b<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m gonna be honest, I\u2019ve been very surprised how enthusiastic some of these people are,\u201d Breed said.<\/p>\n

The former mayor could shake up a field that is almost certain to grow in the coming weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

State Sen. Scott Wiener, a moderate Democrat ally of Breed\u2019s, launched his campaign<\/a> last month, and progressive tech millionaire Saikat Chakrabarti has been gaining momentum<\/a> with campaign kickoff events and a mostly self-funded campaign since February. Supervisor Connie Chan, a progressive Democrat representing the Richmond, is rumored to have an interest in running.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pelosi has left tea leaves that she could back Chan by recently appearing at events with the supervisor.<\/p>\n

There could be many complicating factors for Breed, who previously served as District 5 supervisor after running the African American Art and Culture Complex. Her past campaigns have been run by Maggie Muir, who\u2019s now working for Wiener. The state senator also has quickly amassed a campaign warchest<\/a> of roughly $1.7 million while scooping up endorsements from moderates like City Attorney David Chiu and Attorney General Rob Bonta, as well as pro-growth advocacy groups like SF YIMBY. Breed acknowledged the potential awkwardness.<\/p>\n

\"\"The former mayor and state Sen. Scott Wiener have been allies, but that could change as she weighs a run for Congress. | Source: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades\/The Standard<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s probably gonna be hard for a lot of people, but Scott and I have always had a great relationship and hope that continues,\u201d said Breed, who received Wiener\u2019s endorsement (opens in new tab)<\/a> in last year\u2019s mayoral race as well as a fraught dual endorsement in her 2018 race (opens in new tab)<\/a> against Mark Leno. \u201cI know he has been planning this for some time, but this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and San Franciscans should have options for something this important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wiener\u2019s campaign and Pelosi\u2019s team declined to comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many political insiders and elected officials reached for comment Friday were surprised to learn that Breed may run. But Rafael Mandelman, president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, confirmed that he had heard the rumor Thursday while attending a retreat in Sonoma organized by political affairs group Platinum Advisors.<\/p>\n

At the event, former Mayor Willie Brown told attendees that Breed had called him that morning to say she was giving hard thought to running for Congress.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t offer her advice,\u201d Mandelman told The Standard. \u201cI\u2019m supporting Scott Wiener.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since leaving office<\/a>, Breed has worked as a policy adviser to the Aspen Institute and helped with community outreach to seniors and families during the protracted government shutdown.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am a public servant, and it\u2019s what I care about the most, so when Pelosi made the decision she wasn\u2019t going to run, I got a lot of calls from a lot of different kinds of people,\u201d Breed said. \u201cIt\u2019s been very humbling. Now I have to think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n