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Wiener and Chan Advance in San Francisco as Chakrabarti Falls Short

The June 2 primary sets up a November runoff that highlights San Francisco's local networks and the rising influence of crypto-aligned outside spending.

Overview

  • State Sen. Scott Wiener topped the June 2 top-two primary and San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan finished second, so both will advance to the November general election to succeed Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
  • Saikat Chakrabarti finished a distant third with about 15 percent of the vote and was eliminated despite self-funding nearly $10 million of his campaign.
  • Chakrabarti failed to carry any San Francisco precincts according to vote counts, a result analysts linked to his weak local ties and lack of endorsements from key city validators.
  • Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen and pro-crypto PACs directed six-figure donations and independent spending that helped boost Wiener and target Chakrabarti, raising fresh questions about outside money and delayed disclosure by ‘pop-up’ PACs.
  • Wiener’s broad precinct-level coalition cut across ethnic and income lines while Chan’s strength was concentrated in Asian-majority neighborhoods, meaning November will hinge on whether Chan can unite Chakrabarti’s progressive voters and other fragments of the electorate.