{"id":47824,"date":"2026-04-21T13:16:52","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T20:16:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=47824"},"modified":"2026-04-21T13:16:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T20:16:53","slug":"sf-tech-millionaires-spending-laps-that-of-opponents-in-race-for-congress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/04\/21\/sf-tech-millionaires-spending-laps-that-of-opponents-in-race-for-congress\/","title":{"rendered":"SF tech millionaire&#8217;s spending laps that of opponents in race for Congress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-59-1024x683.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-47829\" srcset=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-59-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-59-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-59-150x100.png 150w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-59-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-59-225x150.png 225w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-59.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/users\/profile\/Patrick_Hoge\">By Patrick Hoge | Examiner staff writer<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Apr 19, 2026 (SFExaminer.com)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Relying mostly on loans he made or guaranteed to his campaign,&nbsp;tech tycoon&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/politics\/saikat-chakrabarti-builds-campaign-to-challenge-nancy-pelosi\/article_0a495fe0-19f1-438c-865d-a99f92b127d9.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Saikat Chakrabarti<\/a>&nbsp;has spent nearly $5 million on his run to succeed U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi in Congress \u2014 more than all of his rivals combined in the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chakrabarti\u2019s campaign shelled out $3.3 million from Jan. 1 through March 31, bringing total disbursements for the race to nearly $4.97 million, according to federal disclosures for the June 2 primary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The top two vote-getters in June will advance to November to see who will represent the 11th Congressional District, which covers much of San Francisco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chakrabarti\u2019s operation reported raising $3.4 million in the first quarter, bringing the campaign total to almost $5.2 million, leaving nearly $209,000 in cash on hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Loans made or guaranteed by Chakrabarti, who made a fortune as an early engineer for&nbsp;payments-technology company Stripe, hit more than $3.3 million for the quarter, bringing the total to more than $4.8 million for the campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aside from loans, Chakrabarti\u2019s campaign reported $61,643 in direct contributions in the first quarter, raising his total of direct contributions for the race to nearly $360,890.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A first-time candidate, Chakrabarti was a top campaign official for liberal firebrand U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and was her chief of staff for eight months. He left that job amid&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/house\/455996-ocasio-cortez-chief-of-staff-to-leave-her-office\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reports of conflicts<\/a>&nbsp;between him and Democrats and co-founded New Consensus, a think tank that develops and promotes progressive public-policy ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chakrabarti\u2019s campaign in the past has said that his reliance on personal money reflected his pledge to take no corporate or lobbyist money. A spokesperson Thursday provided a statement emphasizing that he received 3,500 individual contributions during the quarter at an average amount of $17.46, with more than 13,000 contributions to date at an average of $27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is what a grassroots campaign looks like,\u201d said Tiffaney Bradley, his campaign\u2019s communications director. \u201cThat\u2019s real people chipping in what they can because they believe we deserve a candidate who isn\u2019t backed by tech billionaires and corporations to represent San Francisco in [Washington] D.C.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bradley said the campaign was investing in voter outreach \u2014 \u201cknocking doors, showing up in communities, and meeting people where they are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An independent committee called Abundant Future, meanwhile, had spent at least $277,388 as of April 16 on direct mail opposing Chakrabarti. That committee has received support from various San Francisco tech big wigs, including cryptocurrency billionaire Chris Larsen, Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan and Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joe Arellano, the campaign spokesperson for next the highest fundraiser,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/politics\/state-senator-scott-wiener-outlines-vision-for-congress\/article_424699d2-71c6-4fdb-857c-286ead52f9cd.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">state Sen. Scott Wiener<\/a>, challenged the notion that Chakrabarti\u2019s is a \u201cgrassroots\u201d movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe is trying to purchase a congressional seat with personal wealth, spending more on advertising in three months than most candidates raise in an entire cycle,\u201d Arellano said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is not a campaign built on community support,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arellano said Chakrabarti was \u201ctrying to cover up the skeletons in his closet\u201d from his time in the nation\u2019s capital \u201cand make it look like he actually has ties to San Francisco. News flash: He doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While Wiener has said Chakrabarti lacked a presence in San Francisco before running for office, Chakrabarti says that he has long had a home in The City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ex \/\/ Top Stories<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4\" height=\"3\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-56.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-47825\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/urban-development\/san-francisco-home-sale-prices-buck-trends-in-other-cities\/article_03c66ffa-ea8c-4f96-aa6f-b2fcabb5a4a6.html#tncms-source=top-stories-article\">SF home sale prices buck national trends, new report finds<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>As buying season gets underway, prospective buyers are navigating rising costs and limited inventory<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4\" height=\"3\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-55.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-47826\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/technology\/sf-bay-area-get-record-portion-of-venture-pie-in-q1\/article_f0b420fa-4192-4bd8-b901-137e4e1b9e50.html#tncms-source=top-stories-article\">Bay Area accounts for record share of venture investment in Q1<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>More than 80% of all the money invested in startups nationwide went to local firms \u2014 but a handful of them accounted for nearly all the funds<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4\" height=\"3\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-57.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-47827\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/transit\/sfmta-project-would-improve-service-on-this-busy-muni-line\/article_02243f77-d2b4-450f-b0a2-6081d3ed1586.html#tncms-source=top-stories-article\">SFMTA project aims to improve one of The City&#8217;s busiest Muni lines<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Transportation officials embarking on multiyear effort aimed at boosting pedestrian and transit safety along the 1 California route<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wiener, a prolific author of legislation on many subjects who is known particularly for reducing cities\u2019 regulatory abilities to impede housing construction, has collected far more than Chakrabarti in direct contributions \u2014 including nearly $735,000 in the first quarter \u2014 for a total of $3.5 million since 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The money came from 1,363 donors in the first quarter, bringing the number of donors since the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/politics\/scott-wiener-congress-nancy-pelosi\/article_f92a9029-60c8-4d16-b25a-2b609308bc48.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">launch of his campaign last October<\/a>&nbsp;to 3,371, Arellano said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wiener\u2019s campaign had paid out about $386,000 in the first quarter, bringing its total spending to a little less than $900,000 for the race. That left just more than $2.6 million in cash on hand. The campaign reported no loans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trailing distantly on the cash front was Supervisor&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/politics\/connie-chan-nancy-pelosi-congress\/article_4ec90c9d-2389-4403-a3fe-c278f336acd6.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Connie Chan<\/a>, who represents District 1 on the Board of Supervisors. A progressive supported by numerous labor groups, Chan raised about $282,000 in the quarter, bringing her total to just over $456,000 for the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chan\u2019s campaign also had no loans. It had spent about $247,000 in the quarter, for a total of $302,000, and had nearly $157,000 cash on hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cConnie Chan is a longtime public servant \u2014 she is not bankrolled by billionaires; she is not a tech millionaire,\u201d said campaign spokesperson Julie Edwards. \u201cThis is why she has the support of working people like teachers, nurses, firefighters, hotel workers, seniors, tenants and students \u2014 over 2,000 individual donors who will continue to power this campaign to victory on June 2.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Edwards also provided a statement from Chan assailing Chakrabarti\u2019s spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is an election, not an auction,\u201d Chan said. \u201cSan Franciscans are tired of the mega-rich using endless wealth to buy elections, and we know our city is not for sale.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, the campaign of Marie Hurabiell, who only announced her candidacy on Feb. 25, reported raising nearly $422,000. That included a $100,000 loan made or guaranteed by the candidate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The campaign reported spending $18,922, leaving Hurabiell with nearly $403,000 cash on hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hurabiell, who previously ran unsuccessfully twice for the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/our_sections\/forum\/letters_to_the_editor\/letter-to-the-editor-city-college-of-san-francisco-trustee-board-election\/article_4164f7f4-5bbe-11ed-912a-8b5a95640484.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">City College of San Francisco<\/a>&nbsp;board of trustees, held various private-sector roles before 2020, when she founded ConnectedSF, a nonprofit focused on \u201cpragmatic solutions, accountability, and results.\u201d She is the group\u2019s executive director, though currently on leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hurabiell, who presented herself as an alternative to \u201cthe extreme, progressive agenda that has failed our beautiful city\u201d in her candidacy announcement, is a registered Democrat who backed Mayor Daniel Lurie. The former Republican was a three-year appointee of President Donald Trump\u2019s to the Presidio Trust board of directors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Huriabell was also active in the successful recalls of District Attorney Chesa Boudin and three members of the Board of Education in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a statement provided by her campaign, Hurabiell touted the fact that she raised more in direct contributions in the first quarter than either Chakrabarti or Chan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a huge achievement to have outraised Connie and Saikat in Q1,\u201d Hurabiell said. \u201cI also raised a very respectable number next to Scott, and I only had one month versus the rest of my opponents fundraising for a full quarter. Clearly, San Franciscans are ready for a common sense candidate.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Relying mostly on loans he made or guaranteed to his campaign,&nbsp;tech tycoon&nbsp;Saikat Chakrabarti&nbsp;has spent nearly $5 million on his run to succeed U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi in Congress \u2014 more than all of his rivals combined in the race. Chakrabarti\u2019s campaign shelled out $3.3 million from Jan. 1 through March&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/04\/21\/sf-tech-millionaires-spending-laps-that-of-opponents-in-race-for-congress\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47824"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47824"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47824\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47830,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47824\/revisions\/47830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}