San Francisco’s political arena is about to get lit with a wild primary challenge that’s turning heads faster than a Mission District coffee shop barista.

Saikat Chakrabarti, the 39-year-old tech whiz and Bernie Sanders’ former campaign tech guru, is throwing down the political gauntlet against none other than Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi in the 2026 congressional race. Talk about an underdog story with serious Silicon Valley swagger.

The Rebel with a Tech Backstory

Chakrabarti isn’t your typical political challenger. He’s a Democratic Socialist who also happened to make a cool $170 million as a founding engineer at Stripe. His campaign kick-off at The Chapel in the Mission drew a packed house of 600 fired-up supporters, proving he’s got more than just tech dollars backing his political ambitions.

A Bold Political Vision

“We are living in the middle of a fascist coup,” Chakrabarti boldly declared, signaling he’s not here to play nice. He’s demanding “transformational change” and isn’t afraid to call out the Democratic establishment’s lukewarm approach to challenging the status quo.

The Uphill Battle

With Pelosi potentially running for her 21st term at 86 years old, Chakrabarti faces a steep climb. His internal polling suggests 51% of district voters think it’s time for change, but that doesn’t automatically translate to votes. Plus, his own political history – including donations that challenged fellow Democratic Socialists – adds an extra layer of complexity to his campaign.

One thing’s certain: San Francisco’s political landscape just got a whole lot more interesting.