by Io Yeh Gilman and Joe Rivano Barros
June 13, 2026 (MissionLocal.org)
Eliminated congressional candidate Saikat Chakrabarti is redirecting his campaign to canvas for Supervisor Connie Chan, according to an email obtained by Mission Local.
“We are currently transitioning campaigning operations into a new entity that will continue field work in support of the Connie Chan campaign,” read the email, which was sent to campaign workers on June 9.
Chakrabarti had a well-staffed field team: The candidate hired more than 250 canvassers, including many well-paid Chinese-speaking ones, to create what he called the “the largest field campaign in U.S. congressional race history.”
Some of that team will now be knocking doors and flyering the city in support of Chan.
On June 11, Chakrabarti converted his campaign committee into the “SF Solidarity PAC,” which can spend freely in support of other candidates. His new effort in support of Chan appears to be the PAC’s first act.
The move comes after Chakrabarti’s primary loss, where he came in third with 18 percent of the vote. Chan and State Sen. Scott Wiener advanced to the general election, earning 30 percent and 41 percent of the vote, respectively.
It is unclear whether Chakrabarti will be putting more funds into the PAC or just spending down whatever remains in his campaign account. The candidate, who became a centimillionaire from his early days at Stripe, had put $10 million of his own money into his campaign, some of which may remain after his loss.
In the email, staffers were told that the “new initiative” would end on July 10.
“If you wish to continue, you will remain in your current field role and you will continue working through Friday, July 10, 2026, when this initiative to support Connie Chan is expected to end,” the email says.
Chakrabarti’s decision to back Chan over Wiener is not a surprise; she is running in the progressive lane against Wiener. On the campaign trail, he frequently criticized Wiener, but avoided directly attacking Chan.
Chakrabarti’s campaign had previously pledged to support Chan if he lost.❮❯
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“If Connie wins the primary, Saikat and his entire team will support her. If Saikat wins the primary, he hopes she will do the same,” spokesperson Tiffaney Bradley told the San Francisco Standard in April.
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Io Yeh GilmanStaff Reporter
Io is a staff reporter at Mission Local covering city hall and S.F. politics. She is a part of Report for America, which supports journalists in local newsrooms.
Io was born and raised in San Francisco and previously reported on the city while working for her high school newspaper, The Lowell. She studied the history of science at Harvard and wrote for The Harvard Crimson.
You can reach Io securely on Signal at ioyg.10More by Io Yeh Gilman
Joe Rivano BarrosExecutive Editor
joe.rivanobarros@missionlocal.com
Joe is the executive editor at Mission Local. He is an award-winning journalist whose coverage focuses on politics, campaign finance, Silicon Valley, and criminal justice. He received a B.A. at Stanford University for political science in 2014. He was born in Sweden, grew up in Chile, and moved to Oakland when he was eight. You can reach him on Signal @jrivanob.99.More by Joe Rivano Barros
