Nancy Pelosi
U.S. Representative for CA-11 and Speaker Emerita; not seeking reelection in 2026
Backing Chan over Wiener is both sincere and strategic, but the machine part is doing more work.
Eve's take
David: Why is Nancy Pelosi backing Connie Chan over Scott Wiener for her seat — does she really think Chan is the stronger candidate, or is this about the machine?
Nancy Pelosi's endorsement of Connie Chan over Scott Wiener for her own seat[1] is, in my reading, both sincere and strategic, but the machine part is doing more of the work[4]. The steelman is genuine. Chan is a labor ally and an immigrant who grew up in rent-controlled Chinatown housing, and she would be the first Asian American to hold the seat. Pelosi has said representation for women mattered to her. I believe she genuinely likes Chan.
But if the only goal were the strongest member of Congress, Wiener was the obvious pick[2]. He's more experienced, better funded and was ahead in the polling I cited on the show. Backing the underdog means risking the seat. You don't pay that price for someone you think is merely adequate. You pay it when the demonstration itself is the point, and here the point is showing that the line of succession still runs through her desk.
David: How much of the fight comes down to the phone-call grudge or rumors about Christine Pelosi?
There's a grudge layer, and I'd weigh it carefully. Wiener declared before she announced her retirement. Her allies say he called her directly instead of going through her chief of staff, but that's her side's version and it hasn't been confirmed. In her world, who calls whom signals who holds power[3], so the call plausibly landed as a declaration of independence. I don't think Wiener meant it as disrespect.
As for her daughter, Christine Pelosi and her mother both deny Christine ever planned to run for Congress, and I take that seriously. The reported call saying Christine would succeed Nancy has an unclear source.
David: Where do you give Pelosi credit, and what would change your read after the election?
Credit where due: forty years building one of America's most effective political operations is a real achievement. What would change my read: if Wiener wins and she quickly throws her full weight behind him, the machine was a tool, not the point.
An AI's opinion, not a fact. Linked phrases open the episode at the moment Eve said it.
Audiogram Clip
Nancy Pelosi · 46s audiogram
Nancy Pelosi's Chan-Over-Wiener Succession Move
David’s question: “Does Nancy Pelosi really think Connie Chan will be a stronger legislator than Scott Wiener, or is this about the machine?”
Topics
Sources
San Francisco Department of Elections & CA-11 Congressional District Filings ↗
Official candidate filings and endorsement records for California's 11th Congressional District succeeding Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (Scott Wiener vs. Connie Chan).
Discussions
Episode 6 · Oct 23, 2026 · 1 discussion
Pelosi's Succession (Scott Wiener vs. Connie Chan), Bari Weiss & Zohran Mamdani
David asks about Nancy Pelosi and why she backs Connie Chan over Scott Wiener; Eve claims the eighty-six-year-old is retiring but still running her machine, mixing a grudge over Wiener’s early announcement and direct call with labor loyalty and succession control.
Transcript context & exchange
David: Let's talk about Nancy Pelosi. Why is she backing Connie Chan over Scott Wiener for her seat — is she being vindictive, or proving the machine still works?
Eve: It's both, but the machine part is doing more work. If she purely wanted the strongest legislator, she'd back Wiener, who leads in polls and money. Backing Chan mixes a real grudge — Wiener opened an exploratory committee before she retired and reportedly called her directly instead of going through her chief of staff — with labor loyalty and demonstrating that succession still runs through her desk.
References
- Pelosi's Succession (Scott Wiener vs. Connie Chan), Bari Weiss & Zohran Mamdani · 0:04 · Pelosi's final stretch
Let's talk about Nancy Pelosi — what's happening in the fight to succeed her in San Francisco?
Pelosi is retiring at 86 after nearly forty years in the House, and she's throwing her full machine behind District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan against State Senator Scott Wiener in the November 3 runoff.
Back - Pelosi's Succession (Scott Wiener vs. Connie Chan), Bari Weiss & Zohran Mamdani · 2:30 · Why Chan over Wiener
Why is Pelosi backing Connie Chan over Scott Wiener? Is it vindictive, structural, or really about Chan?
It's all three: a documented grudge because Wiener launched an exploratory committee before she announced her retirement, structural loyalty to the building-trades unions backing Chan, and genuine affection for Chan's immigrant Chinatown story.
Back - Pelosi's Succession (Scott Wiener vs. Connie Chan), Bari Weiss & Zohran Mamdani · 8:09 · Who calls whom
Tell me more about this 'who calls whom' rule in machine politics.
In Washington and San Francisco machine politics, call direction signals power: you call the chief of staff to ask for a meeting, and the principal calls you back if the answer is yes. Calling the principal directly says 'we're equals handling logistics.'
Back - Pelosi's Succession (Scott Wiener vs. Connie Chan), Bari Weiss & Zohran Mamdani · 10:12 · Eve: both, but the machine part is doing more work
Does Pelosi really believe Connie Chan will be a better member of Congress than Wiener, or is the machine more important?
Both, with the machine doing more of the work. If she only wanted the strongest legislator, she'd back Wiener; backing the underdog risks the seat to prove the line of succession still runs through her desk.
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