LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former House Speaker nancy pelosi Her decision to step down after nearly 40 years in Congress sparks a broader campaign to replace her at a time when her hometown of San Francisco is in turmoil over constitutional debate. Fee What should life and its future be like?
Pelosi announced Thursday that she will not seek re-election next year, ending her career. first woman She sat in the Speaker’s chair and was one of the most powerful Democrats in Washington during her time.
The race to replace her comes as virtually all of San Francisco’s heavily Democratic and notoriously liberal district grapples with soaring housing prices and conflicts over whether dense development is the answer. Republicans make up just 7% of the electorate.
Unsurprisingly, Democratic candidate and former tech executive Saikat Chakrabarti’s website features the headline, “We can fix this.”
“The median home price in our city is currently $1.4 million, far beyond what middle-class families can afford,” he says.
Eric Jay, a San Francisco-based Democratic consultant, said “affordability is at the top of the list” for voters in the city of 830,000 people.
“What will our future hold?” continues to be debated by older and newer residents alike, creating much anxiety. Jay says. With an influx of artificial intelligence and other technology talent and an influx of global capital, the question is: Who will survive?
A new generation rushes forward in search of a chance to gain power
Pelosi, 85, has long faced pressure from younger Democrats to step down. Her announcement came after two leading candidates entered the contest without waiting: Chakrabarti, a former chief of staff to Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener, known for advocating for denser development.
Other high-profile candidates are expected to enter the race following Pelosi’s announcement. The list of candidates also includes her daughter, lawyer and Democratic activist Christine Pelosi, who observers have long speculated would follow her mother into Congress. She did not return calls or texts Thursday.
Lawmaker long seen as a potential successor to Pelosi
Wiener is a fixture in San Francisco politics, having represented the city in the state Senate since 2016 and previously served on the Board of Supervisors. She is known for taking on thorny issues such as transgender rights and housing development. He overcame resistance from local officials to push ahead with a proposal approved this year that would have allowed high-rise apartment buildings to be built near transportation hubs.
However, he has also been criticized for advocating for dense housing. “It’s very popular in some districts, but frankly very unpopular in others,” Jay said. If Weiner wins, he will become the first openly gay San Francisco lawmaker.
Former tech executive is considering a move to Capitol Hill
It’s easy to compare Mr. Chakrabarti to New York City’s next mayor, Zoran Mamdani. democratic socialist It was a great victory victory this week. Like Ocasio-Cortez, Chakrabarti worked for Bernie Sanders, who endorsed Mamdani in 2016. Chakrabarti’s parents, like Mamdani’s parents, were from India.
His agenda identifies a list of progressive priorities, including Medicare for All. Jay said Chakrabarti positions himself as a “progressive candidate, a generational candidate.” Chakrabarti, a wealthy engineer who founded payment processing company Stripe, says he and his volunteers will be knocking on every door in the district.
Races that can get crowded quickly
Another name frequently mentioned as a potential candidate is Connie Chung, a progressive who serves on the Board of Supervisors. Jay says he can bring powerful groups of voters into the race, including influential labor unions. She was born in Hong Kong and will likely garner strong support from Hong Kong’s large Asian American community. As a woman, she would stand out more than Chakrabarti or Wiener.
In another historical marker, if Chan or Chakrabarti are elected, they would be the first people of Asian descent to represent the district.
The contest in the Democratic-heavy district will play out in the national battle for the House majority in the 2026 midterm elections. Republicans hold a 219-213 majority in the House, with three seats vacant.
Even if he doesn’t appear on the 2026 ballot, it’s inevitable that President Donald Trump will grace the campaign trail. Weiner’s website has a headline that reads, “Scott has the courage to stand up to Trump,” and Chakrabarti warns that “authoritarianism is winning because the American Dream is failing.”
Still, housing costs are likely to dominate competition.
“Density is going to be the biggest issue,” said Jason McDaniel, a political scientist at California State University, San Francisco. The campaign presents “different visions of how to solve the problem of affordability.”
