Nancy Pelosi’s daughter picks state senate bid over US House run

WASHINGTON – Ms Christine Pelosi said she’s running for a California state senate seat, passing up the contest to replace her mother, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in the US Congress.

“I’m running to represent you, San Francisco, in Sacramento, fighting for consumer rights, women’s rights, gun violence survivors, immigrants and our most vulnerable communities against the threat we face,” Ms Christine Pelosi said in a social media announcement on Nov 10.

The younger Pelosi is an attorney and Democratic political strategist who’s never served in public office.

Still, she was often touted as a contender to replace her mother once the elder Pelosi retired.

That race heated up last week after Mrs Nancy Pelosi said

she would not seek reelection in 2026

, leaving a vacancy in her congressional seat for the first time in nearly four decades. 

Ms Christine, 59, is running for the California Senate seat currently held by progressive Scott Wiener through 2028.

Mr Wiener has launched a bid for Mrs Nancy Pelosi’s Congress perch and would vacate his position in Sacramento if he wins, forcing a special election.

Besides Mr Wiener, other contenders for the Congress seat include Mr Saikat Chakrabarti, a millionaire who left a career in tech to campaign for Mr Bernie Sanders and serve as Ms Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff.

Former San Francisco Mayor London Breed is also considering running.

Mrs Nancy Pelosi has yet to announce her endorsement in the bid for her congressional seat. BLOOMBERG