Former AOC's Chief of Staff Saikat Chakrabarti Announces Congressional Run Against 'Paralyzed' and 'Unprepared' Nancy Pelosi, 84: 'America Is Stuck'

Saikat Chakrabarti, former chief of staff to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, announced his intention to run against former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the upcoming congressional race.

Chakrabarti shared the news on social media, highlighting the need for new leadership within the Democratic Party.

"I’ve got some news: I’ve decided to run against Nancy Pelosi to represent San Francisco in Congress," the 39-year-old said on social media. "I know some of you might be surprised that Speaker Emeritus Pelosi is running again, but she is — for her 21st term!"

Chakrabarti went on to criticize Pelosi and the Democratic Party's response to the current political landscape, stating, "Watching [Donald] Trump and Elon [Musk] freely unleash chaos in their illegal seizure of government, it’s become clear to me that the Democratic Party needs new leadership."

He emphasized the need for bold solutions to address the challenges faced by the American people today.

"I don’t understand how D.C.’s Democratic leaders are so paralyzed and unprepared for this moment after living through President Trump’s first term — and after Trump and Elon warned us exactly what they planned to do," Chakrabarti stated.

"I respect what Nancy Pelosi has accomplished in her career, but we are living in a totally different America than the one she knew when she entered politics 45 years ago. In an interview with Ezra Klein after Trump’s victory, Pelosi said the Democrats don’t need to change," he continued. "I disagree. When Democrats were about to appoint their star communicator — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — to chair the powerful Oversight committee to hold Trump and his cronies accountable, Pelosi personally intervened to block it."

Chakrabarti stressed the importance of moving beyond traditional party politics, claiming "America is stuck."

Acknowledging the difficulty of unseating such a high-profile incumbent, Chakrabarti outlined his strategy for the campaign ahead and how he'll attempt to reach every voter in San Francisco.

He claimed, “I know it might seem it’s a little early to start running. 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. Winning this campaign will require months of organizing — online and on the street. I’m excited for the work.”

Chakrabarti co-founded Justice Democrats in 2017, a progressive political action committee that supported candidates like Ocasio-Cortez.

After AOC's victory, he served as her chief of staff before resigning in 2019.