Nancy Pelosi has announced she will retire from Congress at the end of her current term in January 2027, so no one has replaced her yet; the race to succeed her in San Francisco is only just taking shape. Several Democrats are actively running to replace her in the House, but voters will decide in the 2026 primary and 2026 general election, so there is no confirmed successor at this time.

Key context: Pelosi’s retirement

  • Nancy Pelosi, long‑time representative for California’s 11th Congressional District and former House Speaker, is not seeking reelection and plans to leave Congress when her term ends in early 2027.
  • Her announcement opened a rare “open seat” race in deep‑blue San Francisco, drawing significant attention because she has held the seat since the 1980s.

Leading names in the race

  • Scott Wiener – A California state senator and prominent San Francisco Democrat who launched a campaign for Pelosi’s seat; he emphasizes progressive policies with a focus on being an “effective” representative for the city.
  • Saikat Chakrabarti – A former tech entrepreneur and close ally of the progressive left, known for his role in Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez’s 2018 campaign and for helping craft the Green New Deal; he is running on a platform of economic and anti‑corruption reforms.
  • Connie Chan – A San Francisco supervisor who has also emerged as a serious Democratic contender, with debates highlighting nuanced differences in style and approach among the three.

What “who will replace Pelosi” really means

  • In practical terms, “who will replace Pelosi” refers to who will hold her San Francisco House seat after she retires, not who will become House Speaker, since Democrats are currently in the minority and the speakership is controlled by Republicans.
  • Because California’s filing period for the 2026 congressional primary runs into early 2026 and elections are still ahead, the field could still evolve and no candidate can yet be called the definitive replacement.

Current outlook and speculation

  • Given the district’s strongly Democratic lean, the eventual winner will almost certainly come from the Democratic field, with Wiener, Chakrabarti, and Chan currently drawing the most attention.
  • The contest is being framed less as a left‑versus‑right ideological fight and more as a choice among different styles of progressive representation for San Francisco in a post‑Pelosi era.

Bottom line: the question “who will replace Pelosi” does not have a final answer yet—voters in San Francisco will decide in the 2026 elections which of these contenders, or a possible late entrant, will take over her seat in Congress.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.