The race to succeed Nancy Pelosi in Congress has taken a dramatic turn on foreign policy, as her preferred successor, San Francisco supervisor Connie Chan, pledged to support a "full arms embargo" on Israel if elected — a vow that has won her the endorsement of Citizens Against AIPAC Corruption, the political arm of the pro-Palestinian advocacy group TrackAIPAC.

Chan, a progressive member of the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors, is the establishment favourite in the contest for Pelosi's seat, which the former House speaker will vacate at the end of the current congressional term. She also carries the backing of California Senator Adam Schiff and powerful local labour groups. But her latest move marks a sharp break with the traditional Democratic line on military aid to Israel, and it has electrified a campaign already defined by the question of Gaza.

The pledge that sealed the endorsement

In a candidate questionnaire completed this week, Chan affirmed that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people and committed to a package of measures if elected to Congress, according to Al Jazeera. The commitments include backing a total US arms embargo on Israel, refusing support from AIPAC and the rest of the Israel lobby, and pushing for the pro-Israel group to register as a foreign agent.

"In Congress, we will oppose any aid to Israel and do everything in our power to stop their government's genocidal actions against the Palestinian people," Chan said in a statement reported by The Intercept, which first revealed the endorsement. "We are proud to stand with groups like End Citizens United and Citizens Against AIPAC Corruption to fight to fix our democracy."

A runoff defined by Gaza

The endorsement is the clearest sign yet that US policy toward Israel will be a decisive fault line in one of the most watched contests of the 2026 midterm cycle. Chan faces state Senator Scott Wiener in a November general-election runoff after Wiener finished 11 percentage points ahead of her in June's primary, a result that eliminated Saikat Chakrabarti, TrackAIPAC's original preferred candidate.

Chakrabarti, a prominent advocate for Palestinian rights, threw his remaining campaign funds behind a political action committee supporting Chan days after his primary defeat — a move he explicitly tied to her vow to "vote to end all military aid to Israel — offensive and defensive."

A party shifting under Washington's feet

Chan's pledge lands at a moment of visible drift inside the Democratic Party over Israel. In recent House votes, a majority of Democrats supported cutting military aid to Israel, reflecting a broader reassessment among progressive lawmakers of decades-old military support arrangements. Chan's platform — extending even to defensive systems — goes further than most of her colleagues, and her backers say that is precisely the point.

Her opponents are expected to argue that such positions sit uneasily alongside endorsements from establishment figures like Pelosi and Schiff, both of whom have been endorsed themselves by AIPAC. That tension — between the party's old guard and its restive progressive base — is precisely what makes the San Francisco race a bellwether for Democrats nationally heading into November.

Key takeaways

  • Connie Chan, Pelosi's endorsed successor in San Francisco, pledged to back a full US arms embargo on Israel, winning endorsement from Citizens Against AIPAC Corruption.
  • The pledge includes opposing all US aid to Israel and pushing for AIPAC to register as a foreign agent.
  • She faces state Senator Scott Wiener in November's runoff after trailing him by 11 points in the June primary.
  • The race reflects a broader shift: a majority of House Democrats recently voted to cut military aid to Israel.

Sources

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