Former San Francisco Mayor London Breed Will Not Run for Congress

Former San Francisco Mayor London Breed said she will not run for the congressional seat that will soon be vacant after Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi retires.

Breed, who is currently working as a policy adviser at the nonprofit Aspen Policy Academy, confirmed her decision to KQED on Wednesday, about two weeks after telling reporters she was mulling a possible run.

“After thoughtful consideration, I have decided not to pursue a run for Congress. This moment calls for unity, strength, and a commitment to lifting each other up, not creating more division,” Breed said in a statement. “I will continue fighting for the people of San Francisco and for the values that define us as Democrats: fairness, dignity, and a future where every community can thrive. That work has always been bigger than any one campaign or any one office, and I remain fully committed to it.”

Mayor Daniel Lurie unseated Breed in the November 2024 election. She was the city’s first Black woman mayor, who served for nearly seven years after initially stepping in as interim mayor following the late former Mayor Ed Lee’s death.

Breed stood to join what’s already shaking out to be a crowded race, with six candidates already vying to represent California’s 11th Congressional District. State Sen. Scott Wiener, a moderate Democrat with whom Breed has been an ally on many issues, already announced he is running.

Progressive Saikat Chakrabarti, a wealthy former tech worker who served on New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign in 2018, and San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan, who represents the Richmond District, are also running.

Breed has not yet shared which candidate she is supporting.

“I stand on the shoulders of those who came before me and fought for the same values,” Chan said in a statement on Thursday, when she confirmed her candidacy. “Now I need to stand up to fight for other families who are under attack, who are worried about paying the bills and who need an advocate in Congress.”

Breed’s role at the Aspen Policy Academy, a Bay Area branch of the Washington, D.C.-based Aspen Institute, runs through the end of the year.

“I believe deeply in public service, and I also believe deeply in this Democratic Party and the progress we have fought so hard to make,” Breed said. “At a time when our democracy is under real threat, we cannot afford to turn our energy inward or tear one another down.”