State Sen. Wiener officially announces he's running for Pelosi's seat in Congress
State Sen. Wiener announces he's running for Pelosi's seat in Congress
Melissa Michelson, political science professor at Menlo College, on the candidates vying for Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi's seat in Congress, now that State Sen. Scott Wiener has made it official that he is running for office. Pelosi has not yet made a decision as to whether she will run or not.
SAN FRANCISCO - State Sen. Scott Wiener announced Wednesday morning that he will run for the Congressional seat currently held by Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi.
Weiner made the announcement in a video on his campaign website, saying he is running to "defend San Francisco, our values, our people and the Constitution of the United States."
"I've stood up to violence and hate my entire life; Trump and his MAGA extremists don't scare me," Wiener said. "They won't stop me, or the people of our great city, from fighting back and doing what's right."
On his campaign site, Weiner listed several priorities, including housing, healthcare, immigration, criminal justice reform and public safety, to name a few.
"We need more than rhetoric and good intentions from Democrats. We need action. We need someone who will fight like hell for the most marginalized in our community — someone who will stand up for trans kids, undocumented immigrants even when it’s unpopular, even when it means getting personally attacked and threatened," Wiener said. "We need leaders with spines, who don’t just put their finger in the air to see where the winds are blowing or what polls well."
State Sen. Wiener announces he's running for Congress
Wiener has served in the California State Senate since 2016. He has represented the 11th district from San Francisco. Prior to that, he served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors where he represented District 8, which includes the Castro neighborhood.
The backstory:
The San Francisco Standard previously reported Wiener told political allies that he planned to run in the 2026 race rather than letting Pelosi decide if she would continue to seek her position as the representative of the 11th congressional district – a seat she has held since 1987. The outlet also reported that insiders expected Wiener to wait for Pelosi to make a decision in the coming weeks.
Pelosi will be 86 when her current term ends.
Wiener, who is openly gay, has served in the California State Senate since 2016. He has represented the 11th district from San Francisco. Prior to that, he served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors where he represented District 8, which includes the Castro neighborhood.