Meet the candidates who are clamoring for the open San Francisco congressional district seat.
A progressive Democrat in San Francisco who has championed pro-transgender legislation in California is leading the primary race to fill the House seat long held by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who is retiring.
State Sen. Scott Wiener, described by The New York Times as a “moderate state senator,” has dominated every poll as of May 28.
Trailing Wiener in the lead-up to primary election day on June 2 are three other Democrats: Saikat Chakrabarti, a founder of Justice Democrats and former chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.); Connie Chan, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors heavily backed by state labor unions and endorsed by Pelosi, and Marie Hurabiell, a moderate Democrat and attorney with a background in the tech industry.
A recent San Francisco Chronicle poll shows about 40 percent of respondents said they either planned to vote for Wiener or leaned toward voting for him. Chakrabarti and Chan were nearly tied, receiving 18 and 17 percent support, respectively, while Hurabiell, a former Republican-turned-Democrat, showed 5 percent.
In California’s “jungle primary” system, only the top two candidates in the primary advance to the general election ballot, regardless of party affiliation.
In all, eight Democrats, two Republicans, and an independent are running in California’s 11th Congressional District, a long-time Democratic stronghold. The other Democrats are John Buffler, Keith Freedman, Omed Hamid, and Gregory Haynes.
Neither of the two Republicans—David Ganezer and Jingchao Xiong—have been endorsed by the Republican Party of California.
Nathan Deer, the sole independent, is listed as a No Party Preference candidate.
Pelosi was first elected to the U.S. House in a special election in 1987. Two decades later, she became the first—and remains the only—woman to serve as House speaker. She was elected speaker in 2007 when Democrats took control of the House and again in 2019, following the 2018 midterm elections.
The former House speaker announced last November she will retire when her current term ends Jan. 3, 2027. In 2024, she garnered 81 percent of the vote defeating Republican Bruce Lou. Pelosi has represented San Francisco in Congress for nearly four decades.
Wiener, endorsed by the Democratic Party of California—but not Pelosi—has represented San Francisco for 28 years as a state senator, former county supervisor, former deputy city attorney, and longtime community leader. He has served in the state legislature for nearly a decade.
Wiener, an LGBT activist, recently made the national media spotlight after appearing in a video standing next to a drag queen made up as a pig and wearing skimpy pink lingerie singing “Wiener is a girl’s best friend,” at a campaign event attended by children.
The author of several bills supporting gender ideology, Wiener has fought for access to so-called gender-affirming care and—according to his campaign website—against federal cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.
Wiener wrote Senate Bill 107, which pushed for “gender-affirming” health care and making California a trans sanctuary state, a refuge for transgender-identified children and their parents leaving states where gender surgeries and treatments have been banned. In 2022, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 107 into law and it took effect Jan. 1, 2023.
He was also behind the Senate Bill 357, called the “Safer Streets for All Act,” which repealed the state’s anti-loitering law that police had used as a tool to prevent street prostitution.
Newsom signed the bill into law in 2022, stating: “To be clear, this bill does not legalize prostitution. It simply revokes provisions of the law that have led to disproportionate harassment of women and transgender adults.” Opponents say SB 357 has led to an increase in street prostitution, making the streets less safe.
Wiener has pushed for “harm reduction” policies, including supervised “safe consumption” sites where addicts can use illicit drugs, such as heroin and fentanyl, and the decriminalization of psychedelic drugs. He authored Senate Bill 58 to decriminalize the personal possession and use of plant-based psychedelics. The bill successfully passed the California Legislature but was vetoed by Newsom.
He also authored Senate Bill 79, controversial housing legislation that forces cities to upzone areas near public transportation hubs for taller, high-density housing in designated counties. Opponents argue it strips communities of local control, threatens neighborhood character, and reduces the availability of affordable housing, including single-family homes.
He has promised to continue fighting climate change and has called for greater Big Tech oversight.
In a video pinned to the top of his campaign website, Wiener brands President Donald Trump and the MAGA right as fascists.
“My family escaped fascism in Europe. I never thought the United States would slip into fascism like we’re seeing today,” he says as images of Trump, Elon Musk, and Vice President JD Vance flash across the screen.
“San Francisco has always been on the right side of history, standing up for democracy and civil rights, even when it’s hard,” he says as images of LGBT activist Harvey Milk and people carrying a “National March for Lesbian/Gay Rights Banner,” appear in the video.
Wiener, an attorney, says he is running for Congress to defend San Francisco, its values, its people, and the U.S. Constitution.
“I’ve stood up to violence and hate my entire life. Trump and his MAGA extremists don’t scare me. They won’t stop me or the people of our great city from fighting back and doing what’s right,” he says in the video.
He promises to hold insurance companies accountable “so families get the medical care they need” and “protect LGBTQ kids and families.”
Wiener highlights his efforts to protect LGBT rights and asks voters to join him in preserving San Francisco’s progressive ideals. He prides himself as a champion of progressive policies, including nearly 100 state laws—“to improve affordability and make San Franciscans safer, happier, healthier, and more secure.“
Wiener highlights legislation that he authored banning federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from wearing masks “like secret police”—legislation that was later overturned by a federal court.
By Brad Jones
