Who Will One Day Take Nancy Pelosi’s Place? – Opinion

As of right now, Nancy Pelosi has announced that she will seek reelection next year. This news causes much pain and sorrow in my heart as a San Francisco Bay Area resident and native. It’s not that her remaining in office, as her keeping her seat in the House is assured, is concerning. It’s best to accept something as a fact and not waste your time pondering on it. No, what I lament is how her decision postpones the inevitable day when she won’t, or can’t, run again. A battle royale between San Francisco Democrats for her replacement in 2024 will result that a full-loaded UFC card looks like tea and crumpets at Presidio Club. You can name names. Sure.

Christine Pelosi — Out of Nancy Pelosi’s five children, the 55-year-old Christine is the one most likely to run for office. Christine Pelosi, a political whiz and a lifetime veteran, has the right connections within her party. However, her lack of experience in public office will not make her a viable candidate for the primary. She also has the small matter of social media mouthing off. However, she is a Democrat and the more she speaks, the better.

Gavin Newsom — Remember, he was San Francisco’s mayor once upon a time. It’s a given Governor Hair Gel will run for re-election next year, although if the state keeps floundering under his, uh, “leadership” it is no guarantee he’ll win in November. If he does win, it’s well nigh impossible to envision him leaving the governorship for a House seat. If he does lose, however, what would his view of a House spot as?

Scott Wiener — Currently a state senator, formerly a San Francisco Board of Supervisors member. Wiener is a progressive’s progressive. Openly gay, he has yet to meet a taxpayer-funded governmental-overreach social engineering project he doesn’t love. He would doubtless earn The Squad’s endorsement if he were to run, thus setting up some delicious in-fighting between establishment and outlier San Francisco politicos.

London Breed — San Francisco’s mayor. Breed’s preferred method of dealing with problems is not dealing with them. Because she fails to achieve anything when trying to accomplish something, this is the best plan. Is it possible that Breed would have sufficient political capital, especially if Christine Pelosi is running, to secure establishment backing? However, if the younger Pelosi doesn’t run and Breed does, look for her to immediately gain favor, especially if Wiener is in the mix.

Willie Brown — Yes, he’s 87 years old. A final visit to Washington DC is a great way to close a long career as California’s royalty producer. Also, age is obviously no barrier in California politics (*coughdiannefeinsteincough*). Speaking of which …

Kamala Harris — This has a slew of ifs. If Joe Biden doesn’t run for re-election. If he runs but chooses another running partner. Or, if Biden doesn’t run, but neither does Harris. Or, if Biden doesn’t run, Harris does, and crashes out early enough in the primaries to get on the California ballot for the House seat. Or, if Dianne Feinstein doesn’t change her mind about running for re-election in 2024 when she’ll be 94, for if she were to step away and Harris not be in the presidential mix, one suspects Harris would make a return to the Senate her priority.

It’s tempting to say none of this matters, for regardless of who eventually replaces Nancy Pelosi, the California 12st District seat holder will be on the opposite side of conservatives on every issue. It’s true, however one can still hope to find entertainment on the other side as the players fight for the prize they so desperately desire.