Here’s Who Plans to Replace Pelosi if She Steps Down in Quiet Race

Pelosi’s Daughter in Running for Quiet Race To Replace House Speaker: Report

While House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has represented San Francisco in the House of Representatives since 1987, her tenure may be up after the midterm elections, with the Democratic party facing dim prospects for a Democratic majority. 

A report from Politico claims that, although Pelosi has had no serious challengers for her congressional seat, there is a quiet battle playing out over who will succeed her if she steps down, should Republicans flip the house in the midterm elections.

Politico says that California state Sen. Scott Wiener as well as Pelosi’s daughter Christine are the top two contenders for the seat.

Wiener has represented San Francisco in the state Senate since 2016, and previously served as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. 

Christine Pelosi, meanwhile, is an activist who served as a surrogate for her mother and is vocal on important issues for the Democratic Party. She has never held public office.

A former political director for Wiener said in the report that no one is publicly expressing interest in the seat since they don’t want to “offend” the speaker. 

Pelosi won the congressional seat in a 1987 special election, and the deep-blue city has not had its congressional seat open since that time. Prior to that, it was represented by Phillip Burton and his wife from 1975 until Pelosi won the seat. The opening is viewed as an opportunity for a lifetime tenure for a liberal Democrat, as conservatives aren’t expected to make any gains in San Francisco.

Wiener and Christine Pelosi may already be trying to entice support from prominent groups, but should Nancy Pelosi support her daughter with her many political attachments and connections, it’ll be a difficult seat for Wiener to win. 

Pelosi’s congressional seat isn’t the only thing up for grabs if the speaker decides to step down in the coming years, as other reports indicate there is also a race for who will succeed the speaker in House Democratic leadership.