Governor Gavin Newsom had said he was going to endorse someone in the race to succeed Nancy Pelosi in Congress, but here it is Election Day, and he is demurring. Do we need to wonder why?
We should know in the coming days, if not by tonight, who will be filling the very big shoes of House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, representing what's currently called California's 11th Congressional District.
Will it be former SF supervisor, current state Senator Scott Wiener, or current SF Supervisor Connie Chan?
The race has been contentious if not wildly dramatic, with Wiener handily taking a plurality of the vote in the June primary, however many poll watchers have suggested the race could be a close one, with Chan potentially grabbing the lion's share of the city's powerful Chinese American electorate, along with most or some of the progressive bloc.
Wiener has the endorsement of the SF Chronicle and the California Democratic Party, as well as endorsements from the Sierra Club, the Dolores Huerta Action Fund, the Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club, the Human Rights Campaign, and a swath of labor unions and elected officials.
Chan has a few more unions behind her, as well as the endorsements of Pelosi, Senator Adam Schiff, all current and former progressive-bloc supervisors, and a swath of current and former members of Congress from California, who fell in line behind Pelosi. She also has endorsements from the Rose Pak Asian American Club and the Harvey Milk Democratic Club.
But like Mayor Daniel Lurie, Newsom is staying out of this one, likely both in deference to Pelosi and not wanting to get on the wrong side of Wiener, should he win.
As the Chronicle notes, the lack of endorsement from Newsom, even at the last minute, is somewhat "surprising" given his long and close ties with Wiener. But Pelosi had her reasons for not backing Wiener, be they personal or not, and she will likely continue to wield significant influence even once she is out of office in January, so everyone is treading lightly.
One imagines that Pelosi, who always puts party first, will be fully supportive and complimentary of Wiener if he prevails, but we'll see.
The last three polls in this race, including a July poll sponsored by Chan's campaign, had Wiener ahead by five to seven points.
Related: Wiener Targets Chan’s District as Chinese American Voters Become Key In Race For Congress
