Pelosi praises SF Supervisor Chan as ‘great’ Congress pick, boosting AAPI hopes

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi has voiced support for Supervisor Connie Chan, saying she would be a “great member” of Congress and expressing enthusiasm for San Francisco electing its first Asian American congressperson.

Speaking to reporters at an Asian Pacific Islander Council event in Hayes Valley last Thursday, Pelosi said the prospect of electing an Asian American congressperson from San Francisco would be “very exciting.” “She really did very well there,” Pelosi told the San Francisco Standard, referring to Chan’s performance at a Washington, D.C. fundraiser last month. “She’d be a great member of Congress.”

That fundraiser was hosted by one of Pelosi’s closest allies, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). A person familiar with her thinking told CNN she views Chan as a natural political ally given the coalitions Chan has been building. San Francisco is roughly one-third Asian American, yet no Asian American has ever held the seat. Chinese Americans alone account for nearly a quarter of the city’s residents but have never held it either.

Recent polling consistently places Chan and Chakrabarti in a close race for second behind Wiener, who leads by double digits. This comes despite Chan having raised roughly $500,000 against Chakrabarti’s $4.8 million in self-financing. Another poll commissioned by a PAC supporting Wiener pegs Chakrabarti at 23% and Chan at 17%, though it finds his favorability diminishing since the campaign began, the Standard noted.

Despite her words of praise for Chan, Pelosi has not expressed her official support. The June 2 primary will determine which two candidates advance to November, when a formal Pelosi endorsement could prove decisive.