Saikat Chakrabarti unveiled Rep. Ilhan Omar’s endorsement on the eve of the San Francisco primary, adding another national figure to his congressional bid. The new backing arrives 11 days before the election, and it gives him support from two members of “The Squad.”
Ilhan Omar Backing
Chakrabarti said Omar is now supporting him after he announced Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s backing on Tuesday. The two endorsements leave him with support from half of the Squad, according to the report.
That matters in a race where endorsements are landing late and voters still have a short window before they cast ballots. Chakrabarti’s campaign is pressing that advantage while the primary clock keeps running.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has not endorsed Chakrabarti. He worked as her chief of staff for eight months in 2019, a detail that keeps drawing attention to the missing endorsement even as Omar and Tlaib line up behind him.
The gap is sharper because Chakrabarti is running as a former aide to one of the best-known names in his political lane, but he still has not secured her support. His latest endorsement now shows how much of the progressive field he has already locked down without it.
Maryland Residence Scrutiny
Chakrabarti has also faced scrutiny over a house he listed in Maryland as his primary residence. He said that was a mistake and that he bought the house for his parents.
One opposing mailer put that issue directly in front of voters, saying, “This tech millionaire’s primary residence is in Maryland and he failed to vote in SF for nearly a decade.” Another said, “Don’t let Maryland Millionaire Saikat Chakrabarti put SF’s Future in Jeopardy!”
Chakrabarti’s own mailer pushed back on Scott Wiener with the line, “Who bought Scott?” and said he “will never take a dime of corporate money — Scott can’t say the same.” With 11 days left, the race is already being fought through endorsements and attacks aimed at the same narrow slice of voters.
