Saikat Chakrabarti, former chief of staff for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, announced on X, formerly Twitter, that he plans to run in the 2026 Democratic primary against Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023, has represented California’s 11th congressional district since 1987. She is the longest-serving member of California’s House delegation. Pelosi filed to run for in the 2026 midterm elections last November.
Chakrabarti’s post on X stated in part, “I’ve got some news: I’ve decided to run against Nancy Pelosi to represent San Francisco in Congress. I know some of you might be surprised that Speaker Emeritus Pelosi is running again, but she is — for her 21st term!
He continued, “I respect what Nancy Pelosi has accomplished in her career, but we are living in a totally different America than the one she knew when she entered politics 45 years ago. In an interview with Ezra Klein after [President Donald] Trump’s victory, Pelosi said the Democrats don’t need to change. I disagree. When Democrats were about to appoint their star communicator — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — to chair the powerful Oversight committee to hold Trump and his cronies accountable, Pelosi personally intervened to block it.”
More to follow.
