A candidate eyeing Nancy Pelosi’s congressional seat faced an embarrassing setback when Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whom he frequently cites as an ally, refrained from endorsing him in a recent video interview.
During an interview with Drop Site, Ocasio-Cortez was asked for her opinion on Saikat Chakrabarti, her former chief of staff from 2018, who is now vying for a congressional position in San Francisco.
The progressive icon skillfully dodged the endorsement question regarding her ex-staffer.
“I’m considering the broader role I want to play in these matters,” she responded.
Chakrabarti, a wealthy progressive Democrat who served briefly as Ocasio-Cortez’s aide before stepping down, has consistently highlighted his connection to the Bronx congresswoman in his campaign materials and speeches.
“Having worked with AOC, I can safely say she’s one of a kind. But I’d be honored to represent San Francisco in Congress and join AOC to build a society that truly works for all,” Chakrabarti boasted in an X post announcing his campaign last year.
Chakrabarti, 40, struck it rich working for financial tech firm Stripe and has plowed $5 million into his own campaign for retiring Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s seat.
The Harvard-educated tech multimillionaire describes himself as a former tech director with Sen. Bernie Sanders’ failed 2016 presidential bid and “the architect of the Green New Deal.”
He worked for Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 campaign for Congress, when she defeated incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley in an upset.
Chakrabarti then joined the new congresswoman in the House of Representatives — where he quickly gained a difficult reputation after instigating nasty public spats with Democratic colleagues, according to media reports at the time.
Ocasio-Cortez went on to explain that she has a “lean” political staff in the Thursday interview.
“There are 435 seats in Congress, right? And there is this moment where it’s like — and not just in this race but any race, once you go in it’s like ‘what about this one, and this one?’” she said.
Chakrabarti is competing against state Sen. Scott Wiener, city Supervisor Connie Chan and Marie Hurabiell, a lawyer and activist.
The Texas native has racked up endorsements from drag performer Peaches Christ and former congressman Jamal Bowman, who lost his 2024 reelection bid after pulling a fire alarm at the Capitol, resulting in a $1000 fine.
Chakarabarti also raised eyebrows for gushing over the polarizing far-left streamer Hasan Piker, whose racist tirades calling Asian Americans “dogs for white people” came to light this month.
Chakrabarti did not respond to a request for comment.
Young Turks host Cenk Uygur, Chakrabarti’s pal who has attempted to brand him as a “West Coast Zohran Mamdani,” furiously denounced Ocasio-Cortez and demanded she endorse him in a video posted Friday.
“I can’t believe she hasn’t endorsed him yet,” he fumed.
