Nancy Pelosi’s Attempt To Pick Her Successor Isn’t Going As Planned

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is throwing her political weight behind San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan in an effort to ensure that her longtime congressional seat goes to the Democrat of her choosing.

Pelosi endorsed Chan two weeks before California’s June primary, but it remains to be seen whether the long-serving Congresswoman’s influence will be enough to get her chosen successor across the finish line.

Because of California’s top-two primary system — in which the two candidates receiving the most votes advance to the general election regardless of party — Chan will face off against another Democrat in November: far-left state Sen. Scott Wiener.

Wiener has made no attempts to hide the fact that he was gunning for Pelosi’s seat. He had previously said he would not run for the seat until Pelosi announced her retirement, but jumped into the race last October before she announced that she would not seek another term.

That timing has fueled speculation in San Francisco political circles that Pelosi’s aggressive support for Chan is partly motivated by frustration with Wiener.

Others have suggested that Pelosi is backing Wiener’s opposition because his early campaign announcement undercut a possible run from Christine Pelosi for her mother’s seat. The younger Pelosi is currently running for Wiener’s seat in the state Senate, and her mother has voiced nothing but support.

“She wants to have her own path in California, which I love,” Pelosi said. “There was never any thought that she would run for my seat, although they like to use that because they don’t know what they’re talking about.”

Christine Pelosi, who is also backing Chan for Congress over Wiener, likewise denied any ill will between her family and Wiener: “With respect, some of us do things for positive reasons.”

Nancy Pelosi also denies any animosity toward Wiener over his early campaign launch, and says her primary reason for backing Chan is to ensure that women keep one more seat at the table: “Nobody knows Congress better than I do. Nobody. And I think she would be the best member of Congress.”

Pelosi discussed the race at a recent event celebrating the 106th anniversary of the 19th Amendment — which codified women’s suffrage — and explained that she supported Chan because she believed women were losing power and she wanted to reverse course.

But despite Pelosi’s reputation as a deal-maker and world-class fundraiser, her influence may not be enough to drum up the kind of money and support Chan will need.

Since declaring her candidacy last November, Chan has raised about $1.1 million. Wiener, in contrast, has pulled in more than $4.5 million.

Pelosi’s on-the-ground efforts don’t appear to have moved the needle either. Her attempts to get labor leader Dolores Huerta to endorse Chan — in addition to Wiener — fell flat.

Democratic power broker — and Esprit clothing company founder — Susie Tompkins Buell questioned why Pelosi was throwing her considerable political weight behind someone with so little legislative experience: “It’s not about any woman. It’s about the right woman. Connie Chan is a place where progress goes to die.”

Recent polling shows Chan gaining ground, but still lagging slightly behind Wiener.