Canvassing with a scrum of three campaign aides on Tuesday in the Marina, Supervisor Connie Chan knows the two magic words she has to say to get voters to perk up. 

Nancy Pelosi. 

The name drop wipes the glaze off the faces of business owners, who are likely too preoccupied to pay attention to what appears to be a low-turnout June primary election. Yeah, I know who she is, a couple of them say. 

For Chan, it’s everything: A stamp of approval that may just be her ticket to Congress.

“It’s huge,” Chan said about the longtime Democratic representative’s endorsement announced on May 18 while standing inside a non-alcoholic spirits shop on Union Street. “I would say that it does change the tide quite a bit.”  

The progressive congressional candidate, who has served on the Board of Supervisors since 2021, falls short on some key markers compared to her two male opponents. State Sen. Scott Wiener, considered the race’s frontrunner, has amassed institutional support from Democratic Party donors. Saikat Chakrabarti, a centimillionaire and former aide to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has been plowing millions of his own dollars into an effort to outbid Chan for the number two spot, whose winner will face Wiener.

Chan entered the race in November and was the last of the three major candidates to put their hat in the ring. She has struggled to compete with Wiener and Chakrabarti in fundraising. But what neither have is the nod from one of the Democratic Party’s most politically adept lawmakers of all time. 

“The Pelosi endorsement is a tremendous boost for Connie,” said Eric Jaye, who advised Gavin Newsom when he was mayor. “There are a number of Democrats holding onto their ballot waiting to see what is going to happen. When you have late Democrat voting, Pelosi emerges as a trusted validator.” 

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Jaye and others have pointed out that many Democratic voters have waited to submit their votes. On the day of Pelosi’s endorsement, only 4% of Democrats statewide had returned their ballots. As of Friday, that number had crept up (opens in new tab) to just 13%, meaning there’s still a lot of time for Chan to squeeze out all of the benefits that come from Pelosi’s support. 

Chan did so on Friday: At a campaign rally at the North Beach Library, she was joined by Pelosi and a coterie of other Democratic politicos, including Sen. Adam Schiff, former Mayor Willie Brown, supervisors Shamann Walton and Chyanne Chen, former Supervisors Aaron Peskin and Sophie Maxwell, and IBEW Local 6’s leader John Doherty. 

Chan — wearing a pastel-colored pantsuit like Pelosi — admitted she may not have the deep political battle scars and legislative record of the 86-year-old lawmaker.  

“I am not Nancy Pelosi, let’s face it,” she said to a group of supporters. “But what I do know is that she has built a foundation for all of us, the working people in San Francisco, to be able to have this opportunity.”

Precisely how the sitting representative’s endorsement has impacted Connie’s chances remains to be seen. A major poll for the race has not been released (opens in new tab) since May 11, a week before Pelosi gave Connie the thumbs up. The latest figures show Wiener with 38% of the vote, Chan at 22%, and Chakrabarti at 21%. 

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Predictions markets, which can show general public sentiment about a political race but shouldn’t be taken as gospel, responded immediately to Pelosi’s move. One contest from the website Kalshi (opens in new tab) shows Chan in third behind Chakrabarti through much of the spring, but then a steady rise and a spike in May after Pelosi’s endorsement. Chan’s chances currently stand at 67% for moving ahead to the November general election, while Chakrabarti’s dipped to 36%.

Independent committees supporting Chan have made use of Pelosi’s backing. A 30-second (opens in new tab)advertisement that’s been viewed nearly 150,000 times, released on May 21 by the Working Families for San Francisco PAC, touts the endorsement, painting Chan as the candidate who will carry Pelosi’s mantle in fighting against President Donald Trump. 

“Connie, the only candidate we can trust to fight for people like us,” the ad states. 

Chan’s opponents are already using Pelosi’s support as campaign fodder. Chakrabarti posted (opens in new tab) a video on the same day as her endorsement of Chan, featuring debate footage in which he and the other candidates are asked whether they disagree with anything Pelosi has done during her tenure. While Chan and Wiener largely duck the question, Chakrabarti said he has “a number of disagreements” with Pelosi, including her views on healthcare and the military budget, casting himself as the change candidate.  

Pelosi appears to be aware of the line of attack. 

“She will have her own voice,” Pelosi said about Chan during Friday’s rally. “She doesn’t have to follow with any footsteps or anything else. She’s going to create her own path.”