Holy shit. This is the first open congressional race in our political lives (and for some of us, our ACTUAL ENTIRE LIVES). Sending a capable progressive to Washington will ensure that SF gets our share of federal funds, and install another sane activist to help fight the good fight for the whole country. 

There are three leading candidates in this top-two primary: State Senator Scott Wiener, New Kid on the Block Saikat Chakrabarti, and District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan. 

We are proud to endorse Connie Chan for Congress! Connie immigrated with her family to SF’s Chinatown as a child, cut her teeth as a community organizer, and then worked her way up in politics, maintaining her commitment to social justice the whole way. As District 1 Supervisor, she’s been a champion for renters, small businesses, seniors, and working families in the Richmond. As a smart and thorough Budget Chair, Connie has prioritized vital city services amidst the call to slash spending, and found money to stave off the worst local impacts of Trump’s cuts to health care and food benefits. She has launched progressive initiatives that can be a model for the country: overseeing free City College, funding public transportation and affordable housing, defending tenants and immigrants, protecting the social safety net, and taxing the goddamn billionaires (see Prop D (#PropD)).

Connie’s got a long list of endorsements, especially from progressive labor unions, who are key allies in the coalition to bring power to working families, and who will help her to win. While Connie’s first order of business would be working with other progressive reps to block Trump’s harmful cuts and evil policies, it’s her vision for what government can do for everyday people that we're really excited about.

Scott Wiener is terrible (see every (https://www.theleaguesf.org/Nov_2014#Wiener) voter (https://www.theleaguesf.org/june_2016#Wiener) guide (https://www.theleaguesf.org/march_2020#Wiener) ever (https://www.theleaguesf.org/nov_2020_real#Wiener)). 

Saikat Chakrabarti is new to San Francisco politics, but he worked on Bernie’s campaign in 2016 and ran Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign in 2018, before doing a brief stint as her Chief of Staff in DC. (AOC has rather pointedly not endorsed him in this race.) Before entering politics, Saikat made boatloads of money in tech, and currently runs a national progressive think tank. As a candidate, his focus is on strengthening the national Democratic Party to stand up to Trump, and supporting reforms that will clean up dirty politics in Washington. We are 100% on board with all  that, but Saikat doesn’t have much to say about San Francisco’s specific needs—and he doesn’t have specific ties to communities here that will keep him accountable if elected (and actually, we’re concerned about the ways he has shown up in local politics—mainly through donations to defeat progressives (https://www.phoenixprojectnow.com/phoenix-review/blog/the-mystery-of-saikat-chakrabarti) in recent Supervisor races). It kinda sounds like he could be running this same campaign anywhere: nice ideology, no grassroots activism, just a lot of money to hire canvassers and buy ads. 

But it’s unclear that Saikat’s millions will buy him a victory in the primary, and it’s even less clear that he would win in November without the support of the labor unions and community groups that are backing Chan (and may not throw down for a wealthy tech bro). If Saikat ends up being on the ballot in November we’ll reassess. But for now, It’s a no-brainer: Connie Chan is the only candidate who can beat Scott Wiener* in November and bring San Francisco values to Congress. Let’s send Connie Chan to DC!

Uh oh! According to a news report (https://sfstandard.com/2026/04/30/lurie-s-top-campaign-consultant-departs-political-group-growsf/), Chakrabarti's campaign has provided their paid canvassers with a script (https://assets.nationbuilder.com/theleaguesf/pages/458/attachments/original/1777735220/saikat-canvas-script.jpeg?1777735220) that implies that voters could rank vote both Saikat and Connie Chan to avoid a Wiener victory. This is misleading. The race for Congress is not ranked choice, and marking a #2 candidate will invalidate your vote.

Vote Connie Chan, and only Connie Chan, for Congress!

*Curious why Scott Wiener is terrible? Click through to read our previous (https://www.theleaguesf.org/Nov_2014#Wiener) voter (https://www.theleaguesf.org/june_2016#Wiener) guide (https://www.theleaguesf.org/march_2020#Wiener) writeups (https://www.theleaguesf.org/nov_2020_real#Wiener), but basically: he’s madly pro-cop, (https://sfstandard.com/2026/01/27/scott-wiener-sfpd-cops-union-nancy-pelosi/)  pro-developer, (https://sftu.org/2020/01/16/scott-wiener-takes-more-real-estate-money-than-any-other-politician-in-the-california-legislature/) pro-YIMBY (trickle-down housing (https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/politics/scott-wiener-sf-housing-debates-family-zoning-plan/article_14b8ccb6-d38e-4c5f-8675-50837ae94118.html)) with a gloss of pro-LGBTQ pinkwashing (https://www.instagram.com/p/DAhFdORzC8Q/). Oh, and Weiner lost the California SEIU endorsement because he opposes Prop D, the Overpaid CEO tax (#PropD).

Source (https://www.theleaguesf.org/blog#CD11)

Why would we not support Shirley Weber? She’s experienced, a fierce defender of voting rights, and the rare state official whose integrity is not compromised by ambition. Last time she ran, we wrote about the way Weber stood up to Governor Newsom when he asked her to let him appear on the recall ballot as a Democrat despite missing a deadline—“Hey, Shirley, I know I’m late, but do me a favor and just put me down as a Democrat, OK?” She refused, and when Newsom sued her (https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2021/06/newsom-changes-own-recall/), Weber held her ground and the case was tossed out. Integrity in politics, we love to see it!

Given the current level of wackiness and racism around elections (cough cough, Chad Bianco, Voter ID laws, the reactionary Supreme Court) why wouldn’t we want a principled, effective, honest Black public servant with a dedication to accuracy and transparency running our election process? Her opponent, Orange County Republican Don Wagner, is a voter ID hawk who wants to stop sending mail-in ballots to all voters, so this vote really matters. We’ve endorsed Shirley Weber twice (June and November 2022) and are proud to endorse her again. 

Vote Shirley Weber for Secretary of State!

Source (https://www.theleaguesf.org/blog#SecState)

Jane Kim, the former S.F. supervisor and California director of the Working Families Party, is a force in city and state progressive politics. And though she admits she doesn’t have a background in the insurance industry, that’s actually a plus (https://sfstandard.com/2026/04/20/jane-kim-insurance-commissioner/): we believe California’s Insurance Commissioner needs to take on the big insurers, not cozy up to them. 

The state Insurance Commissioner regulates the nation’s largest property and casualty insurance market, approves premium rate increases, and regulates life, health, and workers’ comp insurance. Homeowners insurance is entwined with real estate and mortgage lending, and health insurance is entwined with, well, health. So Insurance Commissioner is a hugely important job, which is why it matters to have a commissioner who shares our values and prioritizes the public over profits. 

Insurers have been going wild in California, driving up the cost of living by canceling homeowners’ policies, abandoning whole areas of the state, increasing premiums to unimaginable highs, and denying claims. After the devastating fires in Los Angeles, voters say they’re fed up, and most of the candidates are at least giving lip service to reform.  Jane Kim is proposing to create a public insurer for natural disasters, much like the system in New Zealand (https://www.consorsegurosdigital.com/en/numero-21/sumario/contributions/new-zealands-natural-hazards-insurance-scheme-is-based-on-lessons-of-the-past/), and she promises to use the office to rein in the powerful industry and develop new, functional alternatives. Right on, Jane!

Vote Jane Kim for Insurance Commissioner!

Source (https://www.theleaguesf.org/blog#InsuranceCommissioner)

You may have heard that the San Francisco teachers’ strike earlier this year was part of a coordinated effort (https://wecantwait.info/) among large, urban school districts in CA to stand up for fully-funded schools in the face of chronic, egregious, unconscionable underfunding that plagues every district. But did you know there’s one school district that’s holding the line on paying educators a living wage and growing programs for students amidst all this bullshit? It’s San Diego, (https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/positive-outliers-districts-beating-odds-report) baby. 

In his 18 years on the San Diego school board, Richard Barrera has led the charge to reject austerity narratives, direct district leaders to stop hoarding taxpayer money in reserves, increase teacher pay, and improve outcomes (https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/positive-outliers-districts-beating-odds-report) for low-income and BIPOC students. And he hasn’t just done it for his own community in the land of the California Burrito—Barrera has made himself available to advise and consult with education advocates fighting the good fight around the state. Since 2024, he’s worked on special projects for the CA Department of Education to protect immigrant students and families, build affordable housing on school property, and lower chronic absenteeism. 

Berrera understands the critical moment we’re in for public education, and all the things that need to change at the state level for local schools to have what they need. He is running to increase funding, stabilize the education workforce, and grow the model of schools as community hubs. Through it all, we trust that he’ll continue to work closely with union partners because he knows that there’s no pathway for improving schools that doesn’t start with supporting educators and the other humans who keep our education system running. No wonder he’s got the endorsement of the CA Teachers’ Association! Join us in imagining a brighter, bolder future for public education and vote Richard Barrera for State Superintendent!

Sidenote: We gotta shout out local educator and union leader Frank Lara who is also running for State Superintendent. His platform (https://www.frank4caschools.com/) is smart and bold and shows a deep understanding of classroom-level needs (and love for students!) that only the very best teachers exhibit. We went with Barrera this time because of his statewide experience, but we hope this isn’t the last we see of Frank Lara running for office!

Source (https://www.theleaguesf.org/blog#Superintendent)

The state Board of Equalization collects tax, and is the only publicly-elected tax commission in the United States. The Board of Equalization can hold corporations accountable by ensuring they pay their taxes; since Lieber came on, the Board has also made a major commitment to rigorously examine the programs and mechanisms that help fund affordable housing.

The League endorsed Sally Lieber twice in June 2022 (https://www.theleaguesf.org/June_2022#BoardEqualization) and November 2022 (https://www.theleaguesf.org/Nov_2022#BoardEqualization), praising her competence and progressive record in Sacramento. Now she’s the incumbent, and doing a great job. Lieber is running a corporate-free campaign against Republican Bill Shireman, “a fiscal conservative with a conscience,” and John Pimentel, a kinda tired centrist Democrat endorsed by a slew of tired centrist Democrats. Lieber is endorsed by progressives like Lateefah Simon, Alex Lee, and Ro Khanna; SEIU California, the National Union of Healthcare Workers, and the California Teachers Association—as well as by the California Democratic Party and even the reprehensible billionaire troll farm GrowSF. Clearly everyone can see that Lieber knows what she’s doing. 

Vote Sally Lieber for Board of Equalization!

Source (https://www.theleaguesf.org/blog#BoED2)