In less than a month, San Francisco will vote in a primary election to replace Rep. Nancy Pelosi. 

Yet despite all the candidate forums, ad campaigns, and political stunts (opens in new tab), a notable voice has been missing: Nancy Pelosi. The speaker emerita has yet to endorse a candidate. 

When Pelosi speaks, an entire San Francisco political ecosystem listens: She can influence donors, unlock doors, and send a signal to an army of power brokers, operatives, and elected officials on whose fortunes to favor. No other figure in the city, or arguably the state, can match Pelosi’s power base. 

Quite simply, her endorsement could shift the dynamics of this race.

Of the three principal candidates, Supervisor Connie Chan is viewed by insiders as the only one who could land the much-coveted nod. State Sen. Scott Wiener is thought to have rankled Pelosi’s camp as he agitated to enter the race before she had formally announced her retirement, and her reported disdain (opens in new tab) for Saikat Chakrabarti during his time as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff is well documented. Marie Hurabiell, a latecomer to the race and trailing behind the front three, is controversial among Democrats for her Republican ties (opens in new tab). 

In a wide-ranging interview with The Standard on Monday, Chan was direct about her disappointment at not (yet) having secured the coveted endorsement. 

“I certainly was hoping for that,” Chan said. “If I didn’t say yes, I was hoping for the endorsement, then you’d be like, ‘Clearly she’s not being honest.’”

While Pelosi hasn’t exactly clambered up the Golden Gate Bridge to shout full-throated support for Chan, she has backed her in subtle ways, like appearing alongside the supervisor at a D.C. fundraiser two weeks ago. Though Pelosi told reporters last year she did not pla (opens in new tab)n to endorse in the race, insiders said it’s unlikely that so many other members of Congress, including Sen. Adam Schiff, would’ve endorsed (opens in new tab) Chan without some tacit approval from Pelosi behind the scenes.

When asked if endorsement discussions took place at that D.C. fundraiser last month, Chan played it close to the vest.

Pelosi’s “answer was good enough for me to say I need to keep going and feel good at where we’re at,” she said. “I believe that I’m the only candidate in the position to earn her endorsement. You’re certainly not going to see her showing up at other candidates’ fundraisers.” 

Chan added that she believes Pelosi wants to be strategic. “I think she thinks in steps ahead.”

The latest polling (opens in new tab) shows Chan struggling to keep up with Chakrabarti and Wiener, who are viewed as most likely to make it past the June primary. Sam Lauter, a principal (opens in new tab) at public affairs and political consulting firm BMWL, said Pelosi’s endorsement could have made the difference for Chan.

“People would be less nervous about her making the final two,” Lauter said. “You get an endorsement like Nancy Pelosi’s, and people pay attention.”

Chan has struggled to keep up in fundraising against her well-heeled adversaries, with $456,000 raised as of last month. Chakrabarti has self-funded his campaign to the tune of $4.8 million, whereas Wiener’s position as front-runner has helped him turn the spigot, garnering $3.4 million spent on television ad buys featuring him with a giraffe, his Chinese-language nickname. 

Whether Pelosi decides to endorse Chan may be a moot point now, Lauter said. Ballots were mailed to households across San Francisco days ago, and a Pelosi endorsement would take time to penetrate the electorate.

“It’s a little late,” he said.