Pelosi-Endorsed Candidate Connie Chan Demands Complete Arms Embargo on Israel in Heated California Debate

US Representative Nancy Pelosi, centre-left, and San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan, centre-right, stand for a group photo at a Get Out the Vote rally on May 29, 2026, in San Francisco, California [Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty Images]

Connie Chan, the US Democrat endorsed by former House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to succeed her in California’s 11th congressional district, has called for a “full arms embargo on the Israeli government”. During a televised debate on Thursday night, just days before mail-in ballots are distributed to California voters, Chan stated that on her first day in Congress, she would vote to help end what she described as a genocide in Gaza and an apartheid state.

Chan, currently serving as a San Francisco supervisor, is competing against fellow Democrat and California state Senator Scott Wiener to succeed Pelosi. The former House speaker, aged 86, has chosen not to seek re-election. The upcoming November midterm elections will feature contests for all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats as both political parties fight for control of Congress.

While serving on Capitol Hill, Nancy Pelosi maintained a long history of supporting Israel, consistently voting for military aid and condemning any efforts to boycott or sanction the nation. During the debate, Chan emphasized that humanitarian aid must be prioritized and informed moderators that she would not support funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system.

Meanwhile, opponent Scott Wiener has also characterized Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as a genocide, stating that he would oppose funding for the Israeli military as well as the delivery of bombs and offensive weapons. Wiener remarked that the current Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with its actions in Gaza and the West Bank regarding settler violence and land seizures, represents an absolute abomination.

This tight congressional race unfolds against a backdrop of deep divisions within Congress regarding US foreign policy and support for Israel. Recently, nearly all Senate Democrats supported a failed legislative effort that would have mandated a State Department report concerning Israel’s human rights practices, which included the deaths of nine Americans in the occupied West Bank. Additionally, several House members introduced the Stop the Settlements Act this week to impose sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for constructing or expanding illegal Israeli settlements throughout the occupied West Bank and Gaza.