Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on May 18 endorsed San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan in the race to succeed her in California’s 11th Congressional District, picking Chan over the field’s polling leader and a candidate aligned with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) two weeks before the June 2 primary.

“I know and love this district. I know the Congress, and I know Connie,” Pelosi said in a video clip posted to Instagram. “I’m proud to endorse Democrat Connie Chan and ask you to join me in electing her to Congress.”

Pelosi, who announced her retirement on Nov. 6 after representing San Francisco in the House since 1987, passed over state Sen. Scott Wiener, a 17-year state legislator long viewed as a possible successor to the 85-year-old congresswoman.

A San Francisco Chronicle poll released before the endorsement showed about 40 percent of respondents either planned to vote for Wiener or leaned toward him.

Former AOC chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti and Chan were in a statistical tie at 18 percent and 17 percent, respectively. Former Republican Marie Hurabiell was in a distant fourth at 5 percent, and 13 percent of respondents said they would vote for another candidate.

California operates a top-two primary, in which the two leading vote-getters advance to the November general election regardless of party.

Wiener praised Pelosi in a statement to CalMatters and did not directly reference the endorsement.

“I have tremendous respect for Speaker Emerita Pelosi and deep gratitude for everything she has done for our city and our country,” Wiener told the outlet. “Whoever wins in November will have giant stilettos to fill.”

The Epoch Times contacted Wiener for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

Wiener’s highest profile endorsements come from California Attorney General Rob Bonta and members of Congress Reps. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), Laura Friedman (D-Calif.), Josh Harder (D-Calif.), Julie Johnson (D-Texas), Sam Liccardo (D-Calif.), and Scott Peters (D-Calif.).

Chakrabarti, who co-founded Justice Democrats and ran Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 upset victory before serving as her chief of staff, rejected the significance of the endorsement in a post on X.

“I decided to run for Congress against Nancy Pelosi because we need a new generation of leadership to deliver a fundamentally better life for ALL—not just stop Trump,” Chakrabarti wrote on May 18.

“Our strategy has been to win votes directly, building the largest field operation in San Francisco history, knocking almost half a million doors. That’s how we’re going to win this thing, not because of corporate PACs or establishment endorsements but through the support of San Franciscans.”

Chakrabarti’s highest profile endorsements come from former U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) and political commentator Hasan Piker. AOC has yet to endorse him in the race.

Hurabiell, a former Republican running fourth in the Chronicle poll, said the endorsement signaled an ideological shift within the Democratic Party.

“Nancy is an icon and I will always respect her leadership and legacy. Endorsing Connie Chan is a rejection of Scott Wiener who is a sitting senior California state senator,” Hurabiell wrote on X.

“It also is a sign of the Democratic Party once again moving further left away from the moderate majority. This will only further fracture the far left vote. I remain the only common sense candidate.”

Chan, born in Hong Kong, moved to San Francisco at age 13 with her mother and younger brother. She later served as a public safety and communications aide and liaison to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community for then-District Attorney Kamala Harris, and as a legislative aide to former San Francisco supervisors before being elected to the board herself in 2020.

Chan has also been endorsed by Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Reps. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), and Norma Torres (D-Calif.).

Pelosi was first elected to the House in 1987 and became the first female House speaker, a position she held from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023. She announced in November that she would not seek a 21st term.

“With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative,” she said at the time. “As we go forward, my message to the city I love is this: San Francisco, know your power.”

Jackson Richman contributed to this report.