Speaker Nancy Pelosi's experience as chief House Democrat has benefited San Franciscans, but some criticized her long tenure in Washington while sharing what priorities were driving their voting decisions ahead of November's midterm elections.
"Nancy Pelosi definitely works for the people," Susan, a San Francisco resident told Fox News. "She's an incredible public servant and has devoted her life to public service."
Joe, another San Franciscan, had other thoughts: "She strikes me as being overly political."
"I'm not looking for somebody to make political statements," he continued. "I'm looking for somebody to make a difference."
Pelosi has led House Democrats as either speaker or minority leader for 20 years, prompting some lawmakers to question whether she will retire should her party lose control of the lower chamber in November. The latest Fox News Power Rankings predicts Republicans may see up to a 13-seat majority in the House (a total of 231 seats), leaving the Democrats with a 14-seat deficit (204 seats).
Pelosi "reminds me a lot of traditional politicians who are good at making speeches, but not necessarily great at ensuring that policy gets implemented to help the people," Joe said. "So I'm going to err towards somebody who's going to maybe have a fresh take."
Harold, a San Francisco resident said: "Pelosi is one of those elite people who's not the best person for the Democratic Party."
Keith agreed.
"Nancy Pelosi, I think she just lies about everything," he said. "She's just completely off on everything she talks about."
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Despite split support for Pelosi among San Franciscans, locals largely agreed on similar voting priorities for the upcoming midterms. The economy, keeping Republicans out of power and abortion were all among the issues they shared with Fox News.
A San Francisco native, Chris, told Fox News the economy is what will bring him out to vote.
"Rents gone up, food prices have gone up," he said. "I'm impacted just the same as everybody else."
Some San Francisco residents said protecting democracy was their top priority.
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"Democracy is on the line," Susan said. "Voting rights, abortion rights, all these rights are on the line now and we have to get out and vote."
Katherine told Fox News: "The lack of democracy that's starting, especially within the Republican Party, needs to be pushed back against along with the fascism and the authoritarianism."
John, a longtime San Francisco resident, said he's voting to keep "the right-wing crazies and MAGA people from getting seats in the House and the Senate."
Others prioritized abortion access.
"I think that women have the right to choose," Joe said. "I feel that anybody who's running pro-abortion rights or women's rights is going to be a candidate that I'm going to support."
