State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), a prolific lawmaker who has reshaped California politics on a multitude of fronts — from housing to transgender rights — will succeed House Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi as San Francisco’s representative in Congress after San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan called Wiener on Wednesday to concede, his campaign confirmed.
Wiener, 56, who is gay and vilified by some on the far right for his progressive politics and LGBTQ+ rights work, overcame Pelosi’s support for Chan in the closely watched Democratic race, and will be the first LGBTQ+ person to represent the bright blue city in the House.
“To Washington, I will bring the same determination I showed every day to Sacramento,” Wiener said in a statement. “It’s time to provide a better future for our city and our country. »
Wiener’s victory hands Pelosi — known for her deft political instincts and considerable influence over the Democratic Party and its donor base — a rare defeat in her hometown as her nearly 40-year career in the House ends.
The Associated Press had not yet announced the race in favor of Wiener as of Wednesday evening.
But Chan, a labor-backed progressive, announced she was conceding the race in a statement, writing: “After reviewing the results and the ballots remaining to be counted, while we expect the margin to narrow significantly, we do not have a clear path to victory. I congratulate Scott Wiener on his election and wish him success in his service to San Francisco.”
Chan said she was “deeply grateful” to Pelosi “for her trust and for four decades of extraordinary service that has strengthened San Francisco and our country.”
Pelosi in her own statement said Chan “brought courage, conviction and a deep love for San Francisco” to the campaign.
“As a working mother, public servant and immigrant, she has given voice to the families whose struggles she knows,” Pelosi said. “I was proud to support her and I’m very proud of the campaign she ran.”
Pelosi also praised Wiener. “Representing San Francisco is an extraordinary honor and a profound responsibility. My office stands ready to assist in the transition and I wish them success in serving the people of our city,” she said.
Wiener thanked Chan for a “spirited and hard-fought campaign,” his campaign team, volunteers, supporters and donors for their hard work, and Pelosi — whom he hailed as “the greatest president in modern American history” — saying he was “honored to carry on the powerful legacy of this seat.”
He also thanked San Franciscans for their trust and for making history by sending their first queer representative to Congress, something he could never have imagined when he first arrived in the city’s Castro neighborhood as a young man and “fell head over heels in love with this city.”
“San Franciscans voted for the results, and we still have much work to do: build the millions of homes we need; progress towards a true universal health system; investing in clean energy, public transportation and high-speed rail; defend science, education and immigrants; ensuring that people – not big companies – decide what works for this country, including on AI; and ensure that the rule of law applies to everyone, including the president,” he said.
He said it “wouldn’t be easy” but that voters across the country had “given a powerful mandate to congressional Democrats” to make it happen.
The race, which intensified when Pelosi bypassed Wiener to support Chan in May, just before the June primary, had divided the Democratic Party.
Chan — who immigrated to the city from Hong Kong at age 13 and has deep ties to its large Chinese and immigrant communities — was a community and legislative aide for years, including for then-Dist. Atty. Kamala Harris, before being elected to the supervisory board in 2020. She has served as budget chair since 2023.
In addition to Pelosi’s imprimatur, Chan had received support from major labor groups, including the California Federation of Labor Unions and the California Teachers Assn. a host of members of Congress, including Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.); various progressive organizations; colleagues and former supervisors; Willie Brown, former SF mayor and power broker; and Saikat Chakrabarti, third in the primary.
Wiener, a former deputy city attorney and local Democratic Party chairman before being elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2010 and the state Senate in 2016, has been endorsed by state and local Democratic parties; state leaders, including California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, State Senate President Pro Tempore Monique Limón (Santa Barbara Democrat) and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (Hollister Democrat); various queer organizations; labor groups, including AFSCME; more than half of the city supervisors; and various members of Congress.
Many of Wiener’s supporters have cited his legislative effectiveness — he’s authored more than 100 laws, including some of the state’s most progressive laws on LGBTQ+ rights — and his willingness to fight tough battles, which they say are necessary with President Trump in the White House.
Wiener pushed progressive laws supporting safe injection sites, extending bar hours until 4 a.m., decriminalizing psychedelic drugs and limiting federal immigration agents in California. He pushed for housing deregulation and development near transit centers across the state to address the housing and affordability crises, and pushed for artificial intelligence regulation while seeking buy-in from wealthy tech leaders — some of whom supported his campaign.
He also passed laws protecting net neutrality, capping prescription drug costs and requiring mental health parity, ending mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders and requiring companies to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions.
Wiener leveraged his experience as a lawmaker who could “fight smartly and aggressively to defeat Donald Trump and lower the cost of living.”
“This is a race to succeed the most effective and efficient member of Congress in modern American history,” Wiener told the Times in September. “San Francisco should send someone who actually has a proven track record, a proven track record, of being able to deliver on promises.”
In supporting Chan, Pelosi made a point of emphasizing that she had spent much of her political career supporting fellow women in office, and said she believed Chan — an immigrant — would make her mark in Congress, especially given the political atmosphere under the Trump administration.
On Wednesday, Pelosi praised the election of other women across the country, even if not her own successor.
“When I came to Congress in 1987, there were only twelve Democratic women. We made it our mission to change that. Today we celebrate the election of more than 100 Democratic women to the House – a great joy and a source of pride,” Pelosi wrote on X. “When women succeed, America succeeds!”
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