Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi recently revealed she plans to begin campaigning for her 21st term this fall. But Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s former campaign manager and chief of staff has had enough and is calling for generational change.
Saikat Chakrabarti, who leads the left-wing think tank New Consensus, announced last week he intends to challenge Pelosi for her congressional seat in 2026, blasting the Democratic Party for failing to adapt to new leadership.
“I just can’t trust that that same leadership is now gonna be able to suddenly deliver change,” Chakrabarti expressed in an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “I think the Democratic Party needs a whole revolution, and I’m not saying a revolution from the center, or the left, or the right. None of that. I think there needs to be a completely new group of leaders, a new generation of leaders.”
In an X post announcing his race against Pelosi, Chakrabarti criticized President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the Republican Party for unleashing “chaos in their illegal seizure of government.” However, he also took aim at the San Francisco representative for her lengthy tenure.
“When Nancy Pelosi was first elected to Congress, you could buy a home on a single income,” he said.
“I know it might seem it’s a little early to start running,” he added. “But the fact is, it’s almost impossible to defeat incumbents in our system — even at a time when both Congress and the Democratic Party stand at record-low approval ratings.”
The AOC ally faces a steep challenge in his race against Pelosi, who received 81% of her district’s vote in 2024. Additionally, two other San Francisco locals, including Pelosi’s daughter, Christine Pelosi, are already vying to succeed the former speaker upon her retirement.
Reportedly, the Pelosi dynasty has engaged in a “shadow campaign” against state Sen. Scott Wiener, the other contender for California’s 11th Congressional District, to block him from securing the coveted seat.
As a battle royal breaks out to (eventually?) replace Nancy Pelosi, who joined Congress during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, it becomes painfully evident why most voters (88%) favor term limits for federal officials.
“Twenty terms in Congress is enough,” Chakrabarti’s website asserts, and the American people would probably agree. And yet, thanks to her many incumbent advantages, it’s not inconceivable that Pelosi, who will turn 86 before the next election, could win again in 2026.
Congress will never limit itself. The only way to rein in D.C.’s longevous class of career politicians is through an Article V convention to propose amendments targeting federal spending, power, and terms of office. To support Convention of States, the grassroots movement to call the first-ever Article V convention and bring permanent change to Washington, sign the COS petition below!
