Pelosi endorses Chan. What does that mean for the Congressional race? - 48 hills

"Pelosi appeared at a Chan fundraiser in DC. She allowed Chan to use her photo in campaign ads. And we all knew she would never support Saikat Chakrabarti and wasn't at all pleased with Scott Wiener. The only interesting questions: Why this timing-and what will be the impact on the primary, which is only two weeks away?"

"If Pelosi had made this endorsement six months ago, it might have helped Chan raise money; nobody in the entire Democratic Party raises money like Nancy Pelosi. It also might have allowed Chakrabarti's folks to portray Chan as another party insider; he is running openly and directly against the Pelosi wing of the party, which has been open to supporting conservatives and centrists to create a Democratic majority."

"But Chan is by no means the party insider: In San Francisco, the mainstream of the party, including the Democratic County Central Committee, has endorsed Wiener. So has the state Democratic Party. "Connie had to earn this," one longtime political observer close to the Chan campaign, who asked not to be named, told me. "She was not the anointed candidate.""

"But now this is big news; every local outlet has featured it on the digital front page. It's all over social media. It suggests that if Chan makes it to the November general election, she will be able to raise enough money to make her competitive to Wiener. In other words: Positive jolt to the campaign. The election's in two weeks. Ballots have been in mailboxes since early May."

Nancy Pelosi endorsed Connie Chan for Congress and appeared at a Chan fundraiser in Washington, D.C. Pelosi allowed Chan to use her photo in campaign ads. The endorsement was expected given Pelosi’s political alignment and her lack of support for Saikat Chakrabarti and displeasure with Scott Wiener. The key questions are why the endorsement came now and how it will affect the primary. An earlier endorsement could have helped Chan raise money and let Chakrabarti portray Chan as a party insider, but Chan is not viewed as anointed. The mainstream San Francisco Democratic Party, including the Democratic County Central Committee and the state Democratic Party, endorsed Wiener. The timing appears to be controlled by Pelosi, and the news is already generating attention and social media momentum. With ballots mailed in early May, only about five percent have been returned, so many voters have not yet voted.

Read at 48 hills