The Facts

Nancy Pelosi raised a paltry $100,000 for Connie Chan at a July 7 fundraiser in Jackson Square, according to Gabriel Lorenzo Greschler at The San Francisco Standard.

Chan has raised about $1.08 million and had $362,000 on hand through June 30. State Sen. Scott Wiener reported nearly $1.3 million available.

The Context

Pelosi is among the most successful political fundraisers in American history, helping Democrats raise an estimated $1.28 billion after entering House leadership in 2002. Yet her handpicked successor trails Wiener financially and electorally: Wiener won 40.7% of the primary vote, compared with Chan’s 29.7%.

The candidates also represent different traditions. Wiener has built a record of passing ambitious housing and transit laws. Chan is an SF progressive: she opposes change, only supports government-funded housing, and wants to slow everything down in layers of process.

The GrowSF Take

For Pelosi, $100,000 is a surprisingly modest haul. She is literally the Democratic Party’s best fundraiser, working for the candidate she chose to inherit her seat. The result suggests Chan remains a weak pick even with Pelosi’s network behind her.

Chan is also poorly aligned with Pelosi’s pragmatic, institution-building legacy. Pelosi’s endorsement increasingly looks less like affirmative support for Chan and more like a spiteful effort to stop Wiener.