San Francisco state Sen. Scott Wiener announces 2026 run for Nancy Pelosi’s seat in Congress
By Tim Fang
California state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco announced Wednesday that he is running for Nancy Pelosi’s congressional seat next year.
A fierce critic of President Trump, Wiener said he is running because, “San Franciscans deserve a leader who can stand up to Trump’s extremist agenda. This moment demands backbone and hard work that delivers results and makes people’s lives better.”
“It’s a scary time for our country. Our democracy is at stake. Trump is waging a full-on war against immigrants and LGBTQ people. At the same time, it’s gotten harder and harder to buy a house, to afford groceries, to pay for college. Young people are feeling helpless about the future. To change that, we must be willing to challenge the status quo,” Wiener went on to say.
In his statement, Wiener said he has passed more than 100 laws during his time in the State Senate. Approved legislation included bills expanding mental health and addiction insurance benefits, expanding the supply of housing, a ban on most law enforcement wearing face masks and a proposed tax measure to fund Bay Area transit.
Wiener, who has represented San Francisco and northern San Mateo County in the State Senate since 2016, made the announcement as the former Speaker of the House has yet to announce if she plans to seek re-election.
In an interview with CBS News Bay Area, the senator was asked about potentially running against Pelosi.
“I have enormous respect for Speaker Emerita Pelosi. She has moved mountains for the country, for San Francisco and I think the world of her. I do not know what her plans are, only she can say and she has not said so far,” Wiener said.
The senator added, “But I know San Francisco deserves the strongest possible representation and I’ve worked very, very hard for San Francisco and delivered over and over again, whether on housing or healthcare affordability, or expanding clean energy or fighting for democracy, and I look forward to taking that fight to Washington, D.C.”
A resident of San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood for nearly 30 years, Wiener would be the first LGBTQ+ person to represent San Francisco in Congress if elected.
“This is a historic opportunity for our city, which has led the fight for LGBTQ civil rights since electing Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978,” Wiener said.
Wiener’s career in politics began on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, representing the district that was once represented by Milk. He had also practiced law for 15 years, including as a Deputy City Attorney in the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office.
