In November, for the first time in her 33-year congressional career, Pelosi will be challenged for her San Francisco seat in a general election by a fellow Democrat, who calls her insufficiently progressive. If she’s worried, she doesn’t show it — she won’t even respond to his calls for a debate.

Pelosi has not debated an opponent since her first race for Congress in 1987, and she has demonstrated no interest in sharing a stage with Shahid Buttar, the child of Pakistani immigrants, attorney and democratic socialist who is running against her in November.