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Saikat Chakrabarti calls for ‘structural change’ at SF rally
The Indian American progressive is challenging longtime Democratic Representative Nancy Pelosi in California’s 11th Congressional District.
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Malvika Choudhary - Mon, 13, Oct 2025
- 17:02 EDT
- 19
Saikat Chakrabarti / X (Saikat Chakrabarti)
Progressive congressional candidate Saikat Chakrabarti addressed several hundred supporters at a rally in San Francisco’s Mission District on Oct. 8, reiterating his call for “real structural change.”
“We need real structural change, not small incremental steps,” Chakrabarti told approximately 800 supporters at The Chapel — one of the largest gatherings of his campaign so far.
Also Read: Chakrabarti polls better than veteran democrat Pelosi
The 38-year-old political organizer and technology entrepreneur said his campaign seeks “transformational change,” arguing that policies under the current Trump administration have deepened inequality and that restoring pre-Trump approaches would not be enough. He cited proposals such as tuition-free public colleges and trade schools, public ownership of utilities, a Green New Deal to create jobs and cut emissions, and a ban on congressional stock trading.
We used to believe the economy exists to serve people, not the other way around. Every generation knew they would be far better off than their parents. That was the American Dream.
— Saikat Chakrabarti for Congress (@saikatc) October 12, 2025
And we can rebuild it again. By building homes, industries, transit — everything we need. With a… pic.twitter.com/RZKA7APiR3
Economic inequality and the American dream
Chakrabarti described his candidacy as an effort to address long-standing economic inequality and the decline of opportunities for working families. Reflecting on his parents' immigration from India in the 1970s, he said their story represented a version of the "American Dream" that has become increasingly difficult to realize.
“My dad got here with literally 20 bucks in his pocket,” he said. “The country my parents came to was one where every generation knew they would be better off than their parents. That was the American dream — and we built it together with homes, industries, bridges, and a strong social safety net.”
He also linked economic decline to political polarization.
“Our economic decline didn’t start with Donald Trump — our economic decline made Donald Trump possible,” he said. “When democracy doesn’t work to make people’s lives better, that paves the road for a strongman to come in and say, ‘I alone can fix it.’ That is how fascists win.”
The San Francisco rally underscored his effort to localize national progressive priorities.
“San Francisco has always been on the front lines of our democracy,” he said. “We deserve a leader who will represent that in D.C.”
Nancy Pelosi, 85, has not confirmed whether she will seek re-election, though she continues to fundraise and maintain her political organization. A former House Speaker and longtime party leader, she remains a dominant figure in both California and national politics.
Chakrabarti’s candidacy has drawn attention given his role as co-founder of Justice Democrats, the PAC that helped recruit and support progressive lawmakers including Ocasio-Cortez. Before entering politics, he was an early engineer at Stripe and co-founded the campaign technology firm Mockingbird.
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