<!-- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ --></p> <p>from <a href=""https://calmatters.org/author/maya-miller/"" title=""Posts" by="" maya="" c.="" miller="" class=""author" url="" fn="" rel=""author"">Maya S. Miller</a>CalMatters</p> <figure> <img decoding="async" width=""1200"" height=""800"" src=""https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/051826-Chan-Wiener-GETTY-CM-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1"" class=""attachment-post-thumbnail" size-post-thumbnail="" wp-post-image="" alt=""A" split="" image="" shows="" two="" elected="" officials="" speaking="" at="" podiums.="" on="" the="" left="" a="" person="" in="" coral="" blazer="" gestures="" while="" onstage="" against="" dark="" background.="" right="" light="" blue="" suit="" and="" patterned="" tie="" speaks="" into="" microphone="" holding="" notes="" inside="" legislative="" chamber.="" decoding=""async"" loading=""lazy"" srcset=""https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/051826-Chan-Wiener-GETTY-CM-01.jpg?w=2000&ssl=1" https:="" sizes=""auto,"/><figcaption>Left, San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Connie Chan, representing District 1, and state Sen. Scott Wiener. Both are running for U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s congressional seat after she announced her retirement. Photos by Carlos Avila Gonzalez, San Francisco Chronicle and Fred Greaves for CalMatters</figcaption></figure> <p>This story was originally published by <a href=""https://calmatters.org/"">CalMatters</a>. <a href=""https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/"">Sign up</a> for their newsletters.</p> <p>Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has endorsed San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan as her successor in Congress.</p> <p>The nod by the 20-term congresswoman, the first woman ever to hold the speaker’s gavel, represents a last-minute twist in the three-way Democratic race for San Francisco’s next member of Congress. Pelosi <a href=""https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/11/california-nancy-pelosi-retirement/"">announced last November </a>that he would rather retire than seek another term.</p> <p>“I know this district, I know Congress, and I know Connie,” Pelosi said in a short clip from a video provided by Pelosi’s team of her sitting next to Chan. “I am proud to support Connie Chan and ask you to join me in electing her to Congress.”</p> <p>The full endorsement video will be released Tuesday morning. </p> <p><a href=""https://calmatters.org/housing/2026/03/scott-wiener-congress-legislation/"">State Senator Scott Wiener</a> leads the race by double-digit percentage, <a href=""https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/wiener-chan-chakrabarti-congressional-election-22224962.php"">according to recent studies</a>. Chan is neck and neck with tech entrepreneur and former senior congressional aide Saikat Chakrabarty, who has largely self-funded his campaign. Former Republican Marie Huriabel is also running. </p> <p>In the release, the former speaker pointed to Chan’s leadership as supervisor and chairman of the Board of Supervisors’ budget committee as evidence that Chan will fight “tirelessly” to “strengthen our safety net and protect our rights.”</p> <p>Pelosi’s endorsement comes as something of a surprise after the former speaker <a href=""https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/04/california-democrats-governor-leadership/"">signaled that he would not support</a> in the chaotic gubernatorial race, though she was spotted at a fundraiser for Chan and appeared to offer unofficial support. It’s also a blow to Wiener, who called Pelosi his political mentor.</p> <p>“I have tremendous respect for Speaker Emerita Pelosi and deep gratitude for all she has done for our city and our country. Whoever wins in November will have huge stilettos to fill,” he said in a statement.</p> <p>Pelosi praised Chan as “a mother who knows her power and knows why” and said she also brought important experience as an Asian American immigrant. </p> <p>“Connie’s story reflects the American Dream – the hopes and courage of so many families who came to this country believing in opportunity, dignity and democracy.”</p> <p>This article was <a href=""https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/05/pelosi-wiener-congress-endorsement/"">originally published on CalMatters</a> and is republished under <a href=""https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/"">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives</a> license.</p> <p> Copy the HTML
