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Progressive Saikat Chakrabarti to Challenge Nancy Pelosi in 2026
The Democratic Party, said AOC's former chief of staff, "needs a bold vision for how to raise living standards, quality of life, and security for all Americans."
Feb 05, 2025
"Twenty terms in Congress is enough."
That's according to the campaign website of Saikat Chakrabarti, the progressive political adviser who announced Wednesday that he plans to challenge 84-year-old former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in the 2026 cycle.
Chakrabarti's website traces his journey from being born in Fort Worth, Texas, to immigrants from India, to moving to San Francisco after college to work as a software engineer, to his experiences in politics—supporting Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) 2016 presidential campaign, co-founding Justice Democrats, and serving as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D-N.Y.) campaign manager and chief of staff.
Watching U.S. President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk "freely unleash chaos in their illegal seizure of government, it's become clear to me that the Democratic Party needs new leadership," Chakrabarti said in a long post on Musk's social media platform, X. "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."
"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," he asserted, noting Pelosi's
reported role in recently thwarting Ocasio-Cortez's rise to ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
"Now, the things that defined the American Dream—being able to afford healthcare, education, a home, and raise a family—are impossible for most people," said Chakrabarti. "And the Republican Party is overtly conspiratorial and anti-democracy. The Democratic Party needs to stop acting like it's competing against a normal political party that plays by the rules, and it needs a bold vision for how to raise living standards, quality of life, and security for all Americans."
After working for Ocasio-Cortez, "I returned to San Francisco where for five years I've led a policy think tank that develops comprehensive solutions to the problems that both America and San Francisco face," he said. "Now, I want to bring those solutions to Congress. I'm going to run a very different kind of campaign than most. Instead of spending hours each day doing 'call time' with big money donors—I'm going to spend every day talking with voters. I know! What a radical idea!"
"I'll be talking about the problems we need to solve for San Francisco, for America, and also about the future of the Democratic Party—and how it can provide an alternative vision of change from Trump and MAGA," Chakrabarti continued. "In addition to daily conversations with district residents, I'll also be holding weekly Zoom calls open to anyone to talk about national issues and the future of the Democratic Party."
Chakrabarti directed supporters to his campaign website, Saikat.us, where they can sign up to join a Zoom call, volunteer, or organize a house meeting in San Francisco—and he pledged to "never to share your data with anyone, or spam you with breathless pleas for money." The site highlights that he will not be accepting any corporate political action committee (PAC) money.
"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," he said. "Winning this campaign will require months of organizing—online and on the street—to connect with every single voter in San Francisco."
Pelosi
filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission for the 2026 midterms in November, just over a week after Democrats' devastating losses in the latest general elections. Although Pelosi was easily elected to her 20th term last year, Republicans retained the House and took control of the Senate and the White House.
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Watchdogs Launch 'No Corporate Cabinet' Site Targeting Trump Appointees
"No Corporate Cabinet calls out the Trump administration for empowering those who prey on Americans on behalf of billionaires and corporations," explained one advocate.
Jan 27, 2025
A coalition of watchdog groups on Monday launched a "No Corporate Cabinet" website raising the alarm about "persons of interest" who were selected to serve in Republican U.S. President Donald Trump's second administration.
"No American executive branch has ever been entirely free of corrupting influence—but this administration appears to be nearly free of anything or anyone that isn't corporate," said Jeff Hauser, executive director and founder of Revolving Door Project, in a statement. "No Corporate Cabinet will be a vehicle by which we can monitor the people who appear to be in government for the purpose of gaining greater wealth and power for themselves and their friends and family."
The website, NoCorporateCabinet.org, came just a week after Inauguration Day. Along with Hauser's group, it is backed by Demand Progress Education Fund, Justice Democrats, Progressive Change Institute, and RootsAction.
"No Corporate Cabinet will be a vehicle by which we can monitor the people who appear to be in government for the purpose of gaining greater wealth and power for themselves and their friends and family."
So far, it features six individuals: Paul Atkins, a Wall Street ally nominated to be Securities and Exchange Commission chair; Scott Bessent, a hedge fund founder and fossil fuel investor nominated to be treasury secretary; Frank Bisignano, a bank executive nominated to be Social Security Administration commissioner; Linda McMahon: a billionaire and former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO nominated to be education secretary; David Sacks: a Big Tech venture capitalist named as Trump's artificial intelligence and crypto czar; and Chris Wright, a fracking executive nominated to be energy secretary.
"Whether inside or outside of government, Paul Atkins... has spent his whole career undermining the federal government's regulation of Wall Street," states the website, highlighting his opposition to the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, climate disclosure policies, and investors considering environmental, social, and governance factors. The site adds that he also "frequently disapproved of enforcement actions" and "has long disparaged progressive efforts to shape corporate behavior while praising conservative efforts to dominate politics."
Bessent—whom the Senate is set to vote on Monday evening—is "a former investor for billionaire George Soros" who "made a name for himself by bringing down the British economy in the 'Black Wednesday' scandal of the 1990s," the site says, pointing to investments in oil and gas as well as companies including Meta, Monsanto, and Palantir.
Bisignano "has spent his professional career working for the big banks, prioritizing the corporate profits of the financial industry over the concerns of everyday Americans, for example supporting organizations that support raising the retirement age," the website details. "Bisignano has no experience in government and should have no role in the Trump administration, he would simply represent yet another corporate voice who has been rewarded for their financial support of Donald Trump."
Although Trump has teased dismantling the U.S. Department of Education entirely, in the meantime, he has tapped scandal-plagued McMahon to lead it—despite allegations that she has, as End Rape on Campus CEO Kenyora Parham recently put it, a "documented history of enabling sexual abuse of children and sweeping sexual violence under the rug."
McMahon also "denied health oversight and coverage for her workers, helped bust unions, seems to have dodged federal lawsuits over widespread steroid abuse, ignored her workers' deaths," and " became something of a Republican megadonor," the new website notes. During Trump's first presidency, she led the Small Business Administration.
Sacks "reportedly did not want to step down from his VC firm, Craft Ventures," so he is serving in "a part-time, nonformal role" and "could serve up to 130 days a year without divesting or publicly disclosing his assets," the site explains. "Sacks' long and documented history as a vocal and inflammatory conservative voice does not bode well for the development of egalitarian AI models that prioritize public benefit over innovation."
The full Senate hasn't yet voted on Wright, but his confirmation hearing earlier this month was disrupted by the arrest of climate activists with the youth-led Sunrise Movement—whose executive director, Aru Shiney-Ajay, said: "The climate crisis is here. Oil and gas CEOs like Chris Wright have blood on their hands, and they have no place in our government."
Wright "was the CEO and co-founder of Liberty Energy, an oilfield service and fracking company, and sat on the board of small modular nuclear reactor start-up Oklo," which was "initially denied approval for a nuclear reactor in Idaho after providing inadequate information regarding safety measures," the new site says. "Wright regularly makes public statements downplaying the effects of climate change, carbon pollution, and the environmental impacts of fracking."
Sean Vitka, policy director at Demand Progress Education Fund, said Monday that "Wall Street, Big Tech, Big Pharma, dirty energy, and other corporate interests are only interested in maximizing profits."
"Executives, lobbyists, and donors are reshaping government services and regulatory oversight to enrich corporate America at the expense of everyday Americans," he added. "No Corporate Cabinet calls out the Trump administration for empowering those who prey on Americans on behalf of billionaires and corporations."
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'We Must End Citizens United,' Progressives Say as Ruling Turns 15 Amid 'Growing Oligarchy'
"As long as Citizens United remains the law of the land, our democracy will remain broken," said one campaigner.
Jan 21, 2025
As President Donald Trump triumphantly returned to the White House thanks in part to a tsunami of campaign cash from oligarchs and corporate interests, democracy defenders on Tuesday marked the 15th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that unleashed such spending by urging action to overturn the decision.
In a nation where corporations and moneyed interests already wielded disproportionate power and influence over elections, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commissionreversed campaign finance restrictions dating back to the era of Gilded Age robber barons. The ruling affirmed that political spending by corporations, nonprofit organizations, labor unions, and other groups is a form of free speech protected by the 1st Amendment that government cannot restrict. The decision ushered in the era of super PACs—which can raise unlimited amounts of money to spend on campaigns—and secret spending on elections with so-called "dark money."
In his Citizens Uniteddissent, Justice John Paul Stevens asserted that "in a functioning democracy the public must have faith that its representatives owe their positions to the people, not to the corporations with the deepest pockets," and warned that the ruling "will undoubtedly cripple the ability of ordinary citizens, Congress, and the states to adopt even limited measures to protect against corporate domination of the electoral process."
"Over the last 15 years, the American people have watched with disgust as both parties welcomed the unfettered sale of our democracy and elections to the highest bidders."
Since then, nearly $20 billion has been spent on U.S. presidential elections and more than $53 billion on congressional races, according to data compiled by OpenSecrets. Spending on 2024 congressional races was double 2010 levels, while presidential campaign contributions were more than 50% higher in 2024 than in 2008, the last election before Citizens United.
Ultrawealthy megadonors played a critical role in Trump's 2024 victory. Some of them have been rewarded with Cabinet nominations and key appointments in "an administration dominated by billionaires and corporate interests," as Americans for Tax Fairness executive director David Kass described it.
"Fifteen years ago today, the Supreme Court gave billionaires and special interests unprecedented power to rig our democracy with its disastrous Citizens United decision. Yesterday, Donald Trump was sworn in, ushering in the wealthiest administration in American history," Tiffany Muller, president of the advocacy group End Citizens United, said on social media Tuesday. "Citizens United paved the way for Trump II."
Alexandra Rojas, executive director of the progressive political action committee Justice Democrats, said in a statement that "over the last 15 years, the American people have watched with disgust as both parties welcomed the unfettered sale of our democracy and elections to the highest bidders."
"Citizens United legalized economic inequality as a political tool for the wealthy to exploit," Rojas added. "A decade-and-a-half later, working-class people cannot afford to run for office and everyday voters' voices are drowned out by billionaire-funded super PACs. As long as Citizens United remains the law of the land, our democracy will remain broken."
Justice Democrats noted: "Yesterday, Donald Trump was inaugurated as president in what was maybe one of the most openly corporate-sponsored inaugurations in American history. In just one row seated in front of Trump's Cabinet members, four men had the combined wealth of just under $1 trillion."
"Billionaires and corporations are paying their way to gain influence in the Trump administration and they can expect a massive return on their investment, at the expense of everyday people," the group added.
It's no surprise, say critics, that corporate profits and plutocrat wealth have soared to new heights during the Citizens United era.
"Citizens United allowed corporations to buy candidates and elections. Citizens United legalized political bribery. Citizens United let wealth dominate our elections," the consumer watchdog Public Citizen said Tuesday. "Overturn Citizens United."
Positing that "Citizens United turned our democracy into an auction," Congressman Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) wrote on social media Tuesday that "our government is supposed to be of the people, by the people, and for the people—not corporations and billionaire elites. We must #EndCitizensUnited and put the American people back in charge."
Democratic lawmakers have introduced numerous bills, including proposed constitutional amendments, to reverse Citizens United. While Congress has not been able or willing to address the issue, 22 states and the District of Columbia, as well as more than 800 local governments across the country, have passed measures calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn the ruling, according to Public Citizen.
"This is a moment to
usher in a new era in the Democratic Party that rejects the growing oligarchy in this country by rejecting the unprecedented level of billionaire and corporate spending that has a stranglehold over both parties," Justice Democrats said on Tuesday. "Now is the moment to tirelessly center working people and expose the big money corruption that Citizens United has brought onto both parties. By rejecting their influence, working-class people may finally have the promise of a party that actually serves them."
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