{"id":2645886,"date":"2026-08-17T07:50:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T11:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/san-francisco-democrats-fight-over-what-comes-after-pelosi\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T07:53:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T11:53:04","slug":"san-francisco-democrats-fight-over-what-comes-after-pelosi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/san-francisco-democrats-fight-over-what-comes-after-pelosi\/","title":{"rendered":"San Francisco Democrats fight over what comes after Pelosi"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsan-francisco-democrats-fight-over-what-comes-after-pelosi%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2645886&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the political landscape in San Francisco as Nancy Pelosi prepares to leave Congress after nearly four decades. Pelosi&#8217;s departure sparks a heated debate over the city&#8217;s future political direction. The race to succeed her features two leading candidates: state Senator Scott Wiener and Supervisor Connie Chan, both of whom are strongly liberal but differ on policy approaches. Wiener emphasizes housing,growth,and government performance,advocating pragmatic reforms to address issues like housing costs,homelessness,and public safety. Chan focuses on tenant protections, organized labor, and protecting residents from economic pressures, portraying herself as a champion of working families and immigrants. Pelosi&#8217;s endorsement of chan adds notable institutional influence to her campaign. The race also involves contentious debates over foreign policy, notably U.S. support for Israel and Gaza, with both candidates opposing U.S. weapons sales but differing on Israel&#8217;s conduct.Ultimately, the contest symbolizes a broader ideological debate within San Francisco and the Democratic Party: whether the city will pursue a pragmatic liberalism addressing current challenges or uphold its long-standing progressive ideals. The election results will reveal whether the city leans toward change and moderation or maintains its customary progressive coalition.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For nearly four decades, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/san-francisco\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1873\">San Francisco<\/a> politics revolved around one towering Democratic figure: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nancy-pelosi\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"454\">Rep. Nancy Pelosi<\/a> (D-CA).<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, as the longtime lawmaker prepares to leave <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-of-representatives\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"93\">Congress<\/a>, the city is having an unusually public argument over what comes next.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4688053\/as-pelosi-exit-nears-san-francisco-democratic-candidates-fight-over-what-comes-next\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>As Pelosi\u2019s exit nears, San Francisco Democratic candidates fight over what comes next<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4688329\/alaska-senate-primary-incumbent-sullivan-peltola-2026-poll-leadership-fund\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Alaska Senate primary is round one of heavyweight Sullivan-Peltola fight<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4683501\/10-oldest-members-of-congress-running-for-reelection\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Here are the 10 oldest members of Congress running for reelection<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/restoring-america\/equality-not-elitism\/4636829\/scott-wiener-san-francisco-anti-israel-protests\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"4636829\">State Sen. Scott Wiener<\/a> (D-CA) and San Francisco Supervisor <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4574148\/nancy-pelosi-endorses-connie-chan-congress\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"4574148\">Connie Chan <\/a>are competing to succeed Pelosi in a race that has become a test of what kind of Democrat should represent one of the country\u2019s bluest cities.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">Pelosi\/Chan\/Weiner (AP PHOTOS)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-image-caption=&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Nancy Pelosi; Connie Chan, top left; and Scott Wiener, bottom left. (AP PHOTOS)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/08\/localimages\/image-collage-hohgllxu2-1779203948540-e1779204455828<\/a>.jpg?1786732539&#038;w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pelosi\/Chan\/Weiner (AP PHOTOS)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both Wiener and Chan are firmly liberal. They differ on how the government should respond to San Francisco\u2019s problems.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wiener has made housing construction, development, and government performance central to his campaign. Chan has emphasized tenant protections, organized labor, affordable housing, and neighborhood interests, arguing the government should do more to protect residents from the economic forces reshaping the city.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe fundamental divide between Wiener and Chan is less about whether San Francisco should remain liberal than about what liberal government should actually do,\u201d Democratic strategist James Christopher told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That debate is becoming more competitive than the June primary results initially suggested.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wiener finished first in the primary with 40.7% of the vote, compared with 29.7% for Chan. But with the field now reduced to two Democrats, Chan has a chance to consolidate voters who backed other progressive candidates.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A poll sponsored by Chan\u2019s campaign and conducted by Lake Research Partners found Wiener leading 45% to 40%, with 11% undecided. The July 14-19 survey of 500 likely voters was conducted in English and Cantonese and included an oversample of 100 Chinese American voters.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A separate poll sponsored by Fair Housing showed an even tighter race, with Wiener at 39% and Chan at 38%. Twenty-three percent were undecided in the Public Policy Polling survey of 509 San Francisco voters conducted June 26 through 27.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The surveys are campaign-sponsored, but both point to a race that remains unsettled.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWiener\u2019s argument is that he\u2019s the Democrat best positioned to deliver different results,\u201d Nike E. Smith, a Democratic strategist and president of Polaris, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wiener is betting that frustration over housing costs, homelessness, drug use, public safety, and downtown vacancies has made voters more receptive to a pragmatic version of liberalism.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He has repeatedly pushed for more housing and development, sometimes putting him at odds with progressive groups. His argument is not that San Francisco should become less liberal, but that Democrats should be willing to abandon policies that do not work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cVoters don\u2019t always move to the center when they\u2019re frustrated \u2014 they move toward change,\u201d Smith said. \u201cSometimes that\u2019s a moderate, sometimes it\u2019s a democratic socialist, and sometimes it\u2019s an outsider.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chan is making a different case, portraying herself as a champion of working families, tenants, and immigrants and casting Wiener as too closely aligned with wealthy donors, developers, and the technology industry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cConnie Chan has spent her career fighting for working families,\u201d spokeswoman Julie Edwards told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pelosi has given Chan perhaps her most powerful institutional advantage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The former speaker endorsed Chan over Wiener and has continued campaigning for her, allowing Chan to argue that she is not simply seeking Pelosi\u2019s seat but carrying forward the coalition Pelosi built over decades.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNancy Pelosi is one of the Democratic Party\u2019s most influential powerbrokers \u2014 so seeing her handpicked successor\u2019s success is a heavy indication of institutional politics\u2019 staying power,\u201d Christopher said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pelosi\u2019s support has also made her an active participant in the race. When Wiener\u2019s campaign launched an AI chatbot designed to imitate Chan and attack her record, Pelosi called it a \u201cgross misuse\u201d of artificial intelligence. The campaign took the chatbot down, and Wiener apologized after some of its responses, including comments about Chan\u2019s accent and background, drew accusations of racism and sexism.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The episode gave Chan another way to argue that the race is about more than policy \u2014 it is about the kind of politics San Francisco wants.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Foreign policy has created another fault line.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wiener, who is Jewish, has faced criticism from both pro-Israel and anti-Israel activists as his position on Gaza has evolved. In January, he began claiming Israel\u2019s conduct in Gaza is genocide. His campaign website says he opposes AIPAC contributions and offensive U.S. arms sales to Israel and believes Israel should pay for its own Iron Dome missile defense system.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chan also claims that Israel\u2019s actions in Gaza constitute genocide and says she opposes U.S. weapons sales to Israel and all U.S. aid to the country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She also faced scrutiny shortly before the primary over reports that AIPAC and Democratic Majority for Israel had supported her campaign. The groups did not donate directly to Chan, however, but contributed to independent political committees that later spent money supporting her among other candidates. Chan\u2019s campaign rejected the characterization that she had received support from the pro-Israel lobby and pointed to her pledge not to accept such contributions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The competing positions illustrate the challenge for both candidates in a Democratic electorate that includes strongly pro-Gaza activists as well as voters who remain supportive of Israel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ultimately, however, the race is less about whether San Francisco will remain liberal than about which version of liberalism will define its next chapter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSan Francisco has long been an incubator for ideas that eventually shape the national Democratic Party,\u201d Smith said. \u201cThis race is really about whether Democrats believe the next chapter should be defined primarily by ideological identity or by governing effectiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4685334\/california-high-speed-rail-still-broke\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"4685334\">CALIFORNIA HIGH-SPEED RAIL UPDATE: STILL BROKE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Wiener victory would suggest Democrats want a more pragmatic approach without abandoning liberalism, Smith said. A Chan victory would demonstrate the durability of the city\u2019s progressive coalition and reinforce Pelosi\u2019s influence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After nearly 40 years of Pelosi, San Francisco is preparing to find out what comes next.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>San Francisco debates future after Pelosi&#8217;s departure<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2646,"featured_media":2645887,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-collage-hohgllxu2-1779203948540-e1779204455828.jpg?1786732539&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[3685,50402,3928,5894,32422],"class_list":["post-2645886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-democrats","tag-leadership-2","tag-pelosi","tag-politics","tag-san-francisco"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-collage-hohgllxu2-1779203948540-e1779204455828.jpg?1786732539&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2645886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2646"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2645886"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2645886\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2645890,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2645886\/revisions\/2645890"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2645887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2645886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2645886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2645886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}