Nancy Pelosi Facing Primary Challenge From Former AOC Aide
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's situation has taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks, following a fall in Europe that resulted in emergency hip replacement surgery.
As she continues her recovery—having been seen using a walker on the House floor just last week—Pelosi now faces a primary challenge from a former aide to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) with strong progressive views, according to a Thursday report.
Saikat Chakrabarti, who previously served as Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff, declared on Wednesday that he would be running against Pelosi in the primary. His decision stems from the former House Speaker’s role in preventing Ocasio-Cortez from securing a top Democratic position on the House Oversight Committee, Politico reported.
“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,” Chakrabarti, a 39-year-old former tech worker, posted on the X platform. “America is stuck, and Americans want real solutions that are as big as the problems we face.”
Pelosi, who stepped down as Speaker in 2022 after serving nearly 20 years in the position, easily won reelection last year in her heavily Democratic San Francisco district. Her office has not commented on Chakrabarti’s campaign announcement.
Although she has filed paperwork indicating her intention to seek reelection in 2026, Pelosi has yet to confirm publicly whether she will run again. State Sen. Scott Wiener has been widely speculated as a potential candidate should she choose to step aside, while local political circles have also suggested that her daughter, Christine Pelosi, might enter the race if her mother retires.
Whoever emerges victorious in the primary will likely win the general election and secure the seat for the foreseeable future, given San Francisco’s status as a Democratic stronghold, Politico noted.
Meanwhile, scrutiny over stock trading among members of Congress and their families has resurfaced, as Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, reportedly executed $38 million in stock transactions in the weeks leading up to President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The New York Post revealed that the trades included “an investment in a once-obscure artificial intelligence firm whose shares have soared nearly 50% in the past week.”
Paul Pelosi sold $24 million worth of Apple stock and an additional $5 million in shares of Nvidia, a prominent AI chip manufacturer. According to government filings, both transactions were finalized on New Year’s Eve. The Post further reported that Nancy Pelosi is legally required to disclose her husband’s stock dealings.
Additionally, Paul Pelosi, who survived a violent hammer attack in the couple’s San Francisco home nearly two years ago, has taken on a new role with Tempus AI, a Chicago-based health technology firm that utilizes artificial intelligence to analyze clinical and molecular data.
Filings indicate that on January 14, Paul Pelosi purchased $100,000 worth of call options in Tempus AI. Following the disclosure of his involvement, the company’s stock saw a significant surge.
At market opening on January 14, Tempus AI shares were valued at approximately $32 each. By Thursday, however, the stock—originally priced at $37 per share during its IPO last June—had climbed to roughly $50.50 per share, reflecting a 60% increase, according to The Post.
Amid these developments, Nancy Pelosi remains focused on her recovery from hip surgery.
“Earlier this morning, Speaker Emerita Pelosi underwent a successful hip replacement and is well on the mend,” spokesperson Ian Krager stated in mid-December in a message to HuffPost.
The statement further expressed Pelosi’s gratitude to the U.S. military staff at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center at Landstuhl Army Base, as well as the medical team at Hospital Kirchberg in Luxembourg, for their “excellent care and kindness.”