Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi’s communications director, Ian Krager, will be Supervisor Connie Chan’s congressional campaign’s communications director starting Aug. 1, according to Chan’s campaign.
Political consultants say the move is yet another sign that Pelosi is putting her thumb on the scale for Chan. Pelosi endorsed Chan on May 18 and has since shepherded her through major fundraising opportunities in Washington. And, now, she is offering Chan the top talent on her team.
Krager, 26, is one of the last two communications staffers left in Pelosi’s office.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to help tell the story of Speaker Pelosi’s historic leadership for San Francisco and America,” Krager, who’s been Pelosi’s communications director since July 2024, said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to join Connie Chan’s campaign at this pivotal moment.”
Krager, who will relocate to San Francisco, is expected to bring Chan more news coverage in more prominent newspapers.
“She’s doing everything she can to get [Chan] elected,” said Nadia Rahman, who was the political director of Saikat Chakrabarti’s congressional campaign and now supports Chan.
Campaigns are a different beast versus communications work in the capital, but Krager has the experience of dealing with and building relationships with reporters at every level from local news to international news as Pelosi’s spokesperson, said Rahman. It’s something no one else in this race currently has, she added.
Chan’s current campaign spokesperson and consultant Julie Edwards will stay on as a consultant.
The decision followed Chan’s two-day trip to Washington last week that included a meeting with Pelosi on Wednesday early afternoon, and an evening reception hosted by both Pelosi and Sen. Adam Schiff.
The two days were filled with at least 10 meetings, events, and media appearance, which would help build Chan a national Democratic coalition around the themes of labor, abortion rights, gun safety, education and climate.
She also recorded a segment for The Dean Obeidallah Show, a national radio show that examines current issues from a Muslim American perspective.
