Connie Chan for Congress (with Connie Chan)

Hello, Drain-iacs! Max and Kempa are back this week with a real corker of an episode, with someone who we've been a fan of for quite some time – San Francisco's very own Connie Chan! As supervisor for SF's District 1, Connie is one of the progressive voices in the foreground of the local fight against the Tech Right, the Doom-Loopers, the Hacker News set and the Faux-gressives swarming City Hall – not to mention the SF Dems' propensity for supporting DINO politicians like Daniel Lurie and London Breed, at the expense of more progressive, even more popular, candidates. Now that Nancy Pelosi is (finally [lol]) retiring, Chan is running for her seat in Congress to truly represent a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, immigrant-plurality district like CA-11. We talk to Connie about her background as an immigrant, and how growing up in San Francisco's Chinatown has given her a unique perspective among elected officials when it comes to pretty much all the hot-button issues that have been cropping up this cycle – Immigration, of course, but also cost of living, housing, labor and worker's rights, and healthcare. In short, she champions a politics of dignity and love, a politics that is sorely needed in Congress. Though her stances on the genocide of Gaza and campaign finance set her apart from her challengers (Scott Weiner and Saikat Chakrabarti, respectively), it is this respect for human life and desire for dignity for all that truly places her a cut above the rest. In the 2026 congressional primaries, it's more important than ever for progressives in California to fight back against Silicon Valley's capture of local and state Dem parties by supporting local candidates with proven track records like Connie Chan. You can find out more (or even get involved directly) at her congressional campaign website: https://www.conniechansf.com/ Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/c/thedrain.  Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at [email protected]. We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa We're also on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social