With Nancy Pelosi upcoming retirement, progressives hope for another Zohran Mamdani to take her place

After four decades in Congress, Nancy Pelosi announced her retirement on Thursday, fresh off widespread Democratic wins in an off-year election, a move that is now giving progressives hope of turning a new page in leading one of the country’s most important districts.

Just two days after the historic New York City mayoral win of Zohran Mamdani, who campaigned on affordability and unhesitatingly on Palestinian human rights, many in the left wing of the Democratic Party are eager to start a new chapter.

"I pray to God that we find our Mamdani that is going to inspire people to vote and support them with that seat," Mirvette Judeh, chair of the Arab American Caucus of California, told The New Arab.

"This seat is an opportunity to see if the Democratic Party has learned from previous mistakes that have hurt their relationship with unconditional progressives and members of the MENA community. I pray we can get this right and find a candidate that will inspire and unite us all," she said.

Though Pelosi, 85, is widely respected in her district and party, for her advocacy on key issues, such as supporting LGBTQ+ rights, opposing the Iraq War and supporting healthcare legislation, many people nevertheless see her as outdated and not sufficiently outspoken on critical issues of the day.

So far, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission, six Democrats and two Republicans have registered for the June 2026 primary for California's 11th Congressional District, which represents the majority of San Francisco.

One of the most organised campaigns so far has been that of Saikat Chakrabarti, who launched his run in late July after years of working behind the scenes for Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Like Mamdani, he supports progressive policies across the board, including ending US military funding to Israel.

On Thursday, he issued a statement thanking Pelosi for her service and declaring the start of a new chapter in politics.

"Nancy Pelosi's retirement closes a historic chapter, but the next one is being written right now. And if we do this right, it won’t be about one politician or one seat. It’ll be about a movement of people who decided to take back their democracy," he said in an email to voters.

The other prominent candidate vying for Pelosi's seat is Scott Wiener, a state senator who launched his campaign last month. On Thursday, he praised the congresswoman for her advocacy on a range of issues.

"She helped save our country multiple times—during the Great Recession, during Covid. She's just an extraordinary human being, and I am so grateful for her service and her legacy," he told a local news station. He said he would focus on universal healthcare and lowering energy costs.

Judeh, however, says she's very concerned about Wiener's run because he supported a bill that would restrict schools from teaching Palestinian history. At this point in the race, Chakrabarti seems to lack the institutional support for this key district, and the other candidates have not been able to stand out.

When Pelosi stepped down as speaker, there was initially talk of one of her daughters taking her place. However, political dynasties seem to be losing their appeal, seen most recently with the defeat of Andrew Cuomo in this week's New York mayoral race.

"An open seat in this district is a generational opportunity. There are plenty of ambitious Democrats," J. Miles Coleman, associate editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia, told TNA. "This might not be the last big retirement [this year]."