There’s a Powerful Third Wheel in S.F.’s Heated House Race: Nancy Pelosi

State Sen. Scott Wiener and Supervisor Connie Chan are the official candidates for San Francisco’s House seat, but Nancy Pelosi’s endorsement and active involvement in Chan’s campaign have made her a significant, unofficial contender. Pelosi has hosted fundraisers, lent staff, and featured in ads for Chan, leading some to question if she is effectively running the campaign, much to Wiener’s campaign’s chagrin. While Chan asserts her independence and political merit, Wiener’s campaign criticizes her reliance on Pelosi, framing the race as a test of Chan’s ability to win independently.

• Nancy Pelosi has heavily endorsed and campaigned for Supervisor Connie Chan in her bid to replace her in Congress, a race against State Sen. Scott Wiener.
• Pelosi’s involvement includes hosting fundraisers, contributing financially, lending staff, and featuring in campaign ads for Chan.
• Wiener’s campaign has criticized Chan’s reliance on Pelosi, questioning her qualifications to run independently.
• Chan maintains that she is earning endorsements on her own merit and is running her own campaign, not as a Pelosi proxy.
• Pelosi states her support for Chan is due to her desire for more women and moms in Congress and Chan’s experience.
• Despite Pelosi’s influence, there are doubts about whether her endorsements still carry significant weight with voters, citing past instances where her choices were rejected.
• The race has become contentious, with allegations of Pelosi pressuring donors and Wiener’s campaign using an AI chatbot to attack Chan.
• Other Democratic figures like Rep. Adam Schiff and Rep. Jared Huffman have also endorsed Chan, with varying degrees of emphasis on Pelosi’s influence.
• There are underlying rumors about Pelosi’s motivations, including a potential desire for her daughter to run for the seat in the future.
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