Shahid Buttar: the civil rights cyberlawyer and community organizer who’s challenging Pelosi from the left #ShahidVsPelosi
Winning a primary in San Francisco won’t be an easy fight. Pelosi has near-unmatched fundraising capabilities and has served seventeen terms in the House. Buttar himself unsuccessfully ran against her last year, finishing sixty points behind. But as her capitulation in the Senate draws ire even from within her own party, conditions seem ripe for change. The hashtag #ShahidVsPelosi has exploded in popularity in the past few weeks, with prominent figures on the Left like Linda Sarsour and Medea Benjamin endorsing the campaign. Although DSA hasn’t yet decided whether to endorse Buttar, his policy platform includes support for Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, and an end to mass surveillance — all of which are key issues for DSA, and all of which differentiate him from Pelosi. While the odds are stacked heavily against him, his run will be a test of the salience of these issues for San Francisco Democrats.
Meet Shahid Buttar, Pelosi’s Left-Wing Challenger [Natascha Elena Uhlmann/Jacobin]