Nancy Pelosi has upped the ante in the fiercely competitive battle to fill her seat after nearly four decades of representing San Francisco in Congress.
The 86-year-old unleashed criticism on Democrat Saikat Chakrabarti, a tech entrepreneur and former aide to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, during a pointed radio interview. In her remarks, she also criticized a local newspaper, the San Francisco Democratic Party, and even took a jab at the interviewing journalist.
Pelosi is backing Connie Chan, a current member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, in the race.
When asked about Chakrabarti, who served as Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff for about seven months before leaving amid controversy, Pelosi told KQED, “I’ve never encountered him at a homeless shelter, food bank, or immigration center.”
She added, “I’ve never seen him in our community. I have no idea who he is,” delivering a sharp retort.
Chakrabarti, who has invested $10 million of his tech-derived wealth into his campaign for the sought-after congressional seat, has been accused of being a “carpetbagger.” These claims arose after it was revealed that he previously listed a Maryland home as his primary residence and missed voting in several local elections.
The 40-year-old Harvard grad insists San Francisco is his home and where he’s raising his children.
In response to questions about state Sen. Scott Wiener, Pelosi asked the interviewer: “Are you part of their campaign?”
Polls show Wiener, an establishment favorite who’s endorsed by the San Francisco Democratic Party and two local newspapers, with a commanding lead as Chan and Chakrabarti scrap for second place.
Pelosi further dismissed Wiener’s reputation as an effective legislator on state housing, transit and LGBT issues as nonsense.
“You sound like the SF Chronicle, which is totally irrelevant, along with the Examiner,” Pelosi told journalist Scott Shafer.
“What’s that?” she shot back after she was asked about Wiener’s Democratic Party endorsement.
“Spend your time with the public,” she said.
Pelosi has called Chan “a voice that will be heard,” harkening back to the slogan she used in her 1987 election to Congress.
Chakrabarti has taken shots at two-time House Speaker Pelosi before and reportedly annoyed fellow Dems on Capitol Hill during his brief time in Congress.
Ocasio-Cortez has refused to endorse him in the tight race after he relentless name-dropped her in campaign advertisements, touting his work on the Green New Deal during a tumultuous tenure as her chief of staff.
Drew Hammill, Pelosi’s former top aide, told KQED that he suspects the outgoing congresswoman “is making sure that AOC’s chief of staff is not in the top two.”
Chakrabarti did not respond to a request for comment.
The top two vote getters will advance to the November general election.
