By Alexei Koseff, Staff Writer April 23, 2026 (SFChronicle.com)
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Rep. Nancy Pelosi, center, chats with Supervisor Connie Chan, left, and then-Supervisor Aaron Peskin during the Legion of Honor’s 100th anniversary celebration in San Francisco on Nov. 9, 2024.Santiago Mejia/S.F. Chronicle
WASHINGTON — With primary ballots due to arrive in a matter of weeks, voters wondering who former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants to succeed her in San Francisco’s congressional district are stuck reading the tea leaves.
Supervisor Connie Chan — one of several leading Democrats vying for the retiring Pelosi’s longtime seat — visited with Pelosi during a trip to Washington, D.C., this week and even scored an appearance from the potential queenmaker at a campaign fundraiser hosted by Chan’s congressional supporters.
That is not an endorsement of Chan, however. Pelosi spokesperson Ian Krager declined to comment on the time they spent together and referred the Chronicle to a statement from November, when Pelosi told a reporter that it was “not my current plan” to endorse a replacement.
Chan could probably use Pelosi’s blessing as she tries to break through a crowded Democratic field to finish in the top two in the June primary. She is competing for San Francisco’s progressive base with former tech executive and political operative Saikat Chakrabarti, who has poured millions of dollars of his own fortune into the election. She also significantly trails state Sen. Scott Wiener and attorney Marie Hurabiell in cash on hand, according to recent campaign finance disclosures.
Chan was in the nation’s capital this week for North America’s Building Trades Union annual legislative conference, spokesperson Julie Edwards said, and was “very honored” to meet one-on-one with Pelosi at her office on Tuesday. Pelosi also made an appearance at a fundraiser for Chan on Wednesday night, hosted by California’s Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff and several other members of Congress, which was first reported by the San Francisco Standard.
Edwards said she did not know for how long Chan and Pelosi met or what they discussed, but “we’re pleased any time we have a chance to speak with Speaker Emerita Pelosi.”
“Supervisor Chan has always said she would be honored to earn Speaker Pelosi’s endorsement just as she is working hard to earn the support of the voters in the district,” Edwards said.
While she has not yet weighed in on her own seat, Pelosi has endorsed in several other House races across the country, including two in New York and one in Maryland.
April 23, 2026
Staff writer
Alexei Koseff is the Washington, D.C., correspondent for the San Francisco Chronicle, chronicling President Donald Trump’s policies targeting California and the tension between the state and the federal government, as well as how powerful Bay Area figures are shaping — or thwarting — solutions in Washington.
He is rejoining the Chronicle from CalMatters, where he covered Gov. Gavin Newsom and state government. Previously, he served as a Capitol reporter for the Chronicle and spent five years in the Capitol bureau of the Sacramento Bee. Alexei is a Bay Area native and attended Stanford University. He speaks fluent Spanish.
