Representative Nancy Pelosi endorses Connie Chan to succeed her in California’s 11th Congressional District race. Multiple outlets report that Pelosi, who is retiring at the end of her term after nearly four decades in Congress and previously served as House speaker, breaks a period of silence to make her choice known. Chan, a San Francisco supervisor, is described across sources as a Democratic candidate for the seat Pelosi has held for about 40 years. The endorsement is delivered in a video shared by their campaigns and is also characterized as an intervention in the contested Democratic primary.
In her comments, Pelosi says she knows and loves the district, understands Congress, and believes Chan is prepared to represent San Francisco and carry forward political priorities. The Guardian and other outlets quote Pelosi describing Chan as standing out among candidates and being best prepared to move forward the fight for the city in Congress. Some reporting also notes that the endorsement draws criticism locally, with reactions described as anger from people in San Francisco across parts of its political spectrum, though the core factual event is Pelosi’s endorsement of Chan ahead of the June primary.
