We’re in the frenzied, final stretch ahead of the election in which any development could impact voters’ decisions. 

Several state lawmakers are trying to make the leap from Sacramento to Washington D.C. We’ve got a closer look below at how three of those efforts are going. 

Speaking of Californians eager to go to D.C., Gov. Gavin Newsom was in the nation’s capital this week, refining his pitch to voters alongside other potential 2028 presidential hopefuls. 

San Francisco hasn’t had an open House race in 40 years. But now that Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi is retiring, several Democrats are vying to take her place. 

For months, Pelosi has declined to officially weigh in, though she’s offered plenty of hints at who she thinks should get the job. This week, she put the speculation to rest: She endorsed San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan.

“Connie understands San Francisco, our values, our diversity, our communities, and our responsibility to lead with both compassion and strength,” Pelosi said in a video announcing the endorsement.

It’s no secret that Pelosi has had beef with another one of the Democrats in the race, Saikat Chakrabarti. Pelosi famously clashed with the former software engineer when he was chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But many have wondered why she hasn’t supported the overwhelming frontrunner to replace her, state Sen. Scott Wiener.

So what exactly is the relationship – or lack thereof – between these two S.F. heavyweights?

“There’s no longstanding disagreement nor any personal animus behind Pelosi’s decision to look beyond the frontrunner, according to several people who know Pelosi and Wiener,” Joe Garofoli reports. “But as the race tightens and Pelosi has made her choice known, their lack of relationship takes on new meaning.” 

Pelosi isn’t the only member of the Bay Area delegation who won’t be returning to Congress. The race to replace former Rep. Eric Swalwell was already on before he abruptly resigned his seat last month, following the Chronicle’s blockbuster report about allegations he sexually assaulted a staffer. 

But Swalwell’s sudden downfall has changed the trajectory of the race, Alexei Koseff reports.

“Amid a campaign about housing affordability and fighting back against the Trump administration, the candidates are suddenly grappling with what kind of leader can restore their community’s shattered confidence,” Koseff writes.

The top contenders include Democrats like state Sen. Aisha Wahab, a provocative legislator often at the center of major policy fights in Sacramento; former Dublin Mayor Melissa Hernandez and newcomer Rakhi Israni, and Republicans Wendy Huang, a real estate investor, and Dena Maldonado, who owns a floral business.  

Democrats have been desperate for years to oust Republican Rep. David Valadao from his Central Valley House seat. (They did it, once, but Valadao reclaimed the seat in the following election.)

Now that Prop 50 has redrawn the congressional map, Democrats are even better positioned to flip the seat. 

But who’s the best candidate to take on Valadao? The answer has caused a riff among Democrats, Koseff reports. 

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which had vowed not to get involved, unexpectedly endorsed Assembly Member Jasmeet Bains, who’s also a practicing doctor. That has upset a lot of local Democrats who are backing community college professor Randy Villegas, who’s running on an unabashedly progressive agenda and has the backing of Sen. Bernie Sanders and AOC.

Newsom continued his 2028 campaign-in-waiting tour this week with a speaking slot at the Center for American Progress’ Ideas Conference on Tuesday. 

He defended his bitter rivalry with President Donald Trump and laid out how it aligns with his vision for Democrats to fight back aggressively against Republicans’ agenda. 

Newsom also spoke about the need to regulate artificial intelligence — though his own record on that front is mixed.   

His comments caught the ire of one of the state’s most powerful labor leaders.

“The Governor got one thing right, the pitchforks are out. But, instead of accepting catastrophic AI job loss as inevitable, we must first regulate AI in the workplace and harness technology as a tool for workers, not as a way to replace them,” said Lorena Gonzalez, president of California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO in a statement. “We hope the governor will have real discussions with California’s workers – and the unions that represent them.”

The union is backing a series of bills currently making their way through the California Legislature that would regulate AI and seek to insulate workers from job losses.