Nancy Pelosi’s long political reign in San Francisco may finally be nearing its conclusion—though, in quintessential Pelosi fashion, she’s keeping everyone waiting. Her spokesperson, Ian Krager, said the 85-year-old congresswoman will announce her decision about whether she’ll run again after California’s November 4 election. Until then, Pelosi insists she’s “fully focused” on Proposition 50, a redistricting measure she calls “the path to our winning the House,” even though it really isn’t.
Now we’ve heard rumors like this before, but this time things feel different.
In recent years Pelosi has experienced episodes in public that have raised questions about her physical and mental fitness—or at the very least, her sobriety—which have only added fuel to the growing speculation that the Pelosi era may finally be nearing its end.
The generational rift has been widening in San Francisco’s Democratic enclave for years, but it’s now cracking open. State Senator Scott Wiener, 55, shattered his own promise to wait for Pelosi’s decision and officially launched his campaign for her seat.
Wiener, who has spent years in local and state politics championing radical leftist and LGBTQ causes, enters the race with a war chest exceeding $1 million and a clean path to the Democratic establishment’s donor network. But his record is divisive, to put it mildly. He’s infamous for authoring California’s pro–pedophile bill and for declaring California a “state of refuge” for transgender minors seeking medical procedures banned elsewhere. Curiously, Politico called him “a moderate Democrat by San Francisco standards,” which is quite frightening. Those controversial laws helped cement his reputation as a far-left ideologue, but they also give him clout among the activist class that dominates San Francisco’s political machinery.
The questions about Pelosi’s political future have consumed San Francisco, which she has represented since 1987, and underscored a broader moment of uncertainty and transition for California’s political order. The former speaker towers over an old guard of long-serving Democratic politicians who face proliferating same-party challenges from a restive younger generation. Democrats are also clamoring to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, a longtime Pelosi ally, who is nearing the final year of his tenure.
But the dam could puncture in a matter of weeks. Pelosi is not the only prominent politician hinting at a major decision after Election Day. Sen. Alex Padilla has deflected questions about a potential run for governor, saying he is focused on Proposition 50, as has billionaire Tom Steyer.
Pelosi already faced a tougher-than-expected primary challenger in Saikat Chakrabarti, a wealthy former tech executive and progressive who formerly worked as chief of staff to New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
If Pelosi retires, other potential contenders for the seat besides Chan include Christine Pelosi, her daughter and a longtime party organizer, and Jane Kim, a former supervisor and director of the left-leaning California Working Families Party. The younger Pelosi did not respond to a request for comment.
Pelosi has faced whispers about retirement for years, but this time feels different. The pressure is mounting, and the signs are unmistakable. If she finally walks away, the dominoes will fall fast—the Democratic machine she spent decades building could splinter overnight. Her daughter Christine is rumored to be considering a run but has stayed quiet, and the city’s restless political class is already circling her seat like vultures.
In the end, the question isn’t just who comes next—it’s whether Pelosi can bring herself to let go. After all these years at the height of power, she’s no longer the insurgent tearing down the old guard; she is the old guard. And in today’s San Francisco, even Nancy Pelosi may find that the revolution she helped unleash no longer has room for her.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is still ongoing, and polls are now showing Americans are increasingly blaming the Democrats for this mess, but we can’t let them spin their way out of it.
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