House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi’s recent weeks have taken a sharp turn for the worse. After suffering a fall while traveling in Europe that led to emergency hip replacement surgery, Pelosi was seen using a walker on the House floor just last week. But as she focuses on her recovery, a new political storm is brewing at home.
According to a Thursday Politico report, Saikat Chakrabarti — the former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) — has launched a primary challenge against Pelosi, citing her long-standing resistance to progressive leadership. Chakrabarti specifically pointed to Pelosi’s efforts to block AOC from becoming the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.
“I respect what Nancy Pelosi has accomplished in her career,” the 39-year-old tech entrepreneur posted on X, “but we are living in a totally different America than the one she knew when she entered politics 45 years ago. America is stuck, and Americans want real solutions that are as big as the problems we face.”
Pelosi, who stepped down as Speaker in 2022 after nearly two decades in the role, easily secured reelection in 2024 to her deep-blue San Francisco district. While she has filed paperwork to run again in 2026, she has not publicly committed to another campaign. Her office declined to comment on Chakrabarti’s announcement.
If Pelosi steps aside, speculation has long surrounded potential successors, including State Senator Scott Wiener and Pelosi’s own daughter, Christine. But in a city where Democrats dominate, the winner of the primary will almost certainly cruise to victory in the general election — and potentially hold the seat for years to come.
Chakrabarti made his challenge clear: “Democrats have got to do things completely differently.”
