The Fight Over The Democratic Party's Future Collides With The Race To Succeed Nancy Pelosi

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s announcement that she would not activity re-election capped disconnected a decades-long tenure successful Congress and nan apical echelons of nan Democratic Party.

Now, her departure besides sets up a clearer image of nan title to beryllium San Francisco’s adjacent typical successful nan House — and of really Democrats want to floor plan nan early of their statement astatine a infinitesimal of generational change.

The 2 main contenders for Pelosi's territory — Scott Wiener, a California authorities senator, and Saikat Chakrabarti, nan erstwhile main of unit to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — had already jumped into nan title up of Pelosi’s decision.

Others could jump into nan California title up of adjacent June's all-party primary, but already nan 2 existing candidates' views bespeak different wings of nan Democratic Party.

In interviews pinch NBC News, Wiener said that he has a grounds of building divers coalitions and delivering connected legislation, while Chakrabarti touted his push for “whole scale, structural change.” The perspectives bespeak nan wider statement statement astir whether to activity governmental alteration much done applicable advances wrong existing systems aliases alternatively by overhauling those longstanding systems entirely.

Saikat Chakrabarti astatine nan Capitol Visitor Center successful 2019.Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

It's not nan first clip nan title to win a erstwhile speaker besides serves arsenic a litmus trial for nan early of nan party. After then-House Speaker John Boehner stepped down successful 2015, nan crowded GOP superior to capable his Ohio spot echoed nan Republican Party’s broader statement complete its future. Rep. Warren Davidson yet won nan spot pinch nan backing of nan anti-establishment blimpish Club for Growth, which had previously sparred pinch Boehner.

Neither Wiener nor Chakrabarti believed that Pelosi’s announcement changed overmuch astir nan dynamics of nan race. Wiener predicted that Chakrabarti, who had been focusing overmuch of his attraction connected Pelosi, would pivot to attacking nan authorities legislator instead. Chakrabarti said that he believed nan title wasn’t conscionable astir nan erstwhile speaker, but nan Democratic Party needing “wholesale change.”

“In my opinion, nan existent infinitesimal correct now successful nan Democratic Party is, do we want to spell backmost to nan authorities arsenic usual?” Chakrabarti said successful an interview, framing his force arsenic “part of that normal constitution politics.”

Across nan divide, Wiener presented himself arsenic nan campaigner who could really deliver.

“It’s not capable to conscionable opportunity that you want to execute X, Y and Z and to make videos astir it, you request to springiness voters assurance that you cognize really to really present connected those promises astir housing, wellness care, power and truthful forth,” Wiener said, referencing Chakrabarti’s societal media presence.

State Sen. Scott Wiener successful Sacramento, Calif., successful 2022.Rich Pedroncelli / AP file

Wiener’s website touts nan candidate's grounds “authoring and passing much than 100 authorities laws,” pointing to his push to beforehand lodging and pro-LGBTQ issues.

Chakrabarti disputed Wiener’s questions astir whether he tin present legislatively. He emphasized his domiciled successful crafting the Green New Deal, a progressive group of argumentation goals, and asserted that erstwhile group mobilized astir climate, it forced Democratic statesmanlike candidates to clasp biology proposals successful 2019 and 2020. Chakrabarti based on that nan push contributed to erstwhile President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which included billions of dollars to conflict ambiance change.

Pelosi has not yet weighed successful connected nan race, and she told NBC News past week that making an endorsement was not her “current plan.”

Chakrabarti declined to stock whether he was successful talks astir imaginable endorsements pinch nan likes of Ocasio-Cortez aliases Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Chakrabarti worked connected Sanders’ 2016 statesmanlike campaign.

Chakrabarti acknowledged that if he's elected successful 2026, while Republicans still power nan White House, he would not beryllium capable to push guardant connected goals for illustration enacting a cosmopolitan wellness attraction strategy aliases processing a nationalist slope to "fund, finance and create affordable housing." Instead, he said his first goals would beryllium “defending” constituents from Trump management policies for illustration migration raids and unit deployment and moving to “force nan conversation” connected anti-corruption issues.

If elected, Wiener emphasized wanting to elevate lodging arsenic a bigger rumor astatine nan national level. Asked astir similarities and differences pinch Pelosi, he noted that he is “very aligned” pinch her connected issues for illustration expanding wellness attraction entree and said he was “a immense admirer of her work.”

“I’m my ain person, and we person tons of shared values and priorities, and I person priorities that are my own,” he said.