Former Trump appointee challenges Scott Wiener in Dem primary for Pelosi's seat

A former Republican appointee of President Donald Trump has entered the race to succeed retiring Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi in representing San Francisco, joining an already crowded primary field after switching her party registration to Democrat.

Marie Hurabiell is campaigning on a “common sense” approach to government. She posted on X, “Big news. Today, I’m announcing my campaign for Congress to represent San Francisco. I didn’t plan to run for office this year– but San Francisco doesn’t need more ideological extremes. We need results and reform. I’m running to bring pragmatic, common sense, Democratic leadership to Washington – focused on safety, innovation, and affordability. I’ve stood up to failed policies before. I’ll do it again.”

Hurabiell previously worked as an attorney and interned for Pelosi. In a statement, she described the former Speaker of the House as an “iconic” leader. Hurabiell said she plans to address affordability and investigate Universal Basic Income to address the threat of artificial intelligence to the labor market. She said, “Democrats must once again be the party of working people, focused on lowering costs, not expanding bureaucracy.”

Hurabiell has also taken positions in opposition to many Democrats, including opposing men competing in women’s sports. She co-founded ConnectedSF, a coalition of neighborhood groups focused on improving public safety, and helped elect Mayor Daniel Lurie, who defeated former Mayor London Breed in 2024. She also helped lead the recalls of District Attorney Chesa Boudin and members of the Board of Education.

Hurabiell was appointed to the board of the Presidio Trust, the federal agency that oversees the famous park near the Golden Gate Bridge, by President Trump in 2018. She reportedly switched her party registration from Republican to Democrat in 2022.

Hurabiell joins a crowded Democratic primary field that includes far-left state Sen. Scott Wiener, San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan, and Saikat Chakrabarti, former aide to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a multimillionaire.

Joe Arellano, a spokesperson for Wiener’s campaign, told The New York Post, “Marie Hurabiell is a MAGA Republican Trump appointee who’s pretending to be a Democrat in an attempt to be taken seriously. We’ll add her to Scott’s MAGA Fan Club on our campaign website next to Laura Loomer and Kristi Noem.”

Tiffaney Bradley, a spokesperson for Chakrabarti, told the outlet, “Marie is known as someone who speaks her mind and always keeps things interesting. And while our campaign will probably disagree on almost everything, what we have in common is that we know this city and this whole country needs change.”