The San Francisco Democratic Party made its coveted political endorsements for November races Wednesday night — and one of the city’s most influential Democratic leaders surprised many with how she doled out her stamps of approval.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, an ex-officio member of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC), voted in contrast to the majority of the committee by supporting progressive supervisors Connie Chan and Dean Preston at the endorsement meeting. The committee voted overwhelmingly to support their opponents, Marjan Philhour and Bilal Mahmood.
Pelosi also stayed out of the mayoral race by voting for no endorsement, while incumbent Mayor London Breed secured the group’s sole endorsement. Longtime Democratic activist Susan Pfeifer served as Pelosi’s proxy at the meeting. Pelosi did not vote to endorse Breed during her 2018 mayoral race.
Pelosi has a tradition of endorsing incumbents in San Francisco, backing both moderates and progressives. However, her support for Preston left some observers scratching their heads, as the Democratic Socialist supervisor is considered far to the left of the former Speaker.
Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who received the endorsement of both Pelosi and the DCCC, praised Pelosi’s mentorship of local party activists.
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“As an immigrant mom and woman of color, it means a lot to me to have the support from one of the most powerful women in this country,” said Melgar.
Breed’s campaign declined to comment. A spokesperson for Pelosi did not immediately respond to a request for comment.