Leftist California state Sen. Scott Wiener is one step closer to serving in Congress despite the last-minute decision from longtime Congresswoman and former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to endorse his opponent.
On Tuesday, San Francisco voters made their picks for Pelosi’s successor, selecting among Wiener, Supervisor Connie Chan, and Saikat Chakrabarti, the former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
With half the vote reported as of Wednesday morning, Wiener and Chan lead the pack with 41.3% and 28.6% of the vote, respectively. Under California’s “jungle primary” system, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election in November regardless of party.
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The results delivered a slight rebuke to Pelosi’s political clout, who has represented San Francisco’s 11th Congressional District for 39 years in Congress.
The liberal firebrand, who is serving her last term in Congress, threw her weight behind Chan.
“I know and love this district, I know the Congress, and I know Connie. I’m proud to endorse Democrat Connie Chan and ask you to join me in electing her to Congress,” Pelosi said, appearing alongside Chan in a video endorsement.
BREAKING: Nancy Pelosi endorses SF Supervisor Connie Chan to succeed her in Congress, saying Chan “stands above” all the other candidates.
The Speaker Emerita’s backing is one of the most coveted in San Francisco politics. Pelosi has held the seat for nearly 40 years. pic.twitter.com/9osp5FpboM
— Monica Madden (@themonicamadden) May 18, 2026
Her endorsement threw a wrench into the primary as most polls showed Wiener holding a commanding lead. The pro-transgender leftist is considered one of the most radical members of the California State legislature.
“My family escaped fascism in Europe. I never thought the United States would slip into fascism like we’re seeing today. San Francisco has always been on the right side of history,” Wiener said in his announcement video.
In October 2025, Wiener called it “gross” that San Francisco women turned up at his annual Halloween event to protest his transgender policies. He called the late Charlie Kirk a “vile bigot” before and after the conservative activist was assassinated. He called Trump-ally Richard Grenell a “self-hating gay man.”
“Make him the face of the Democrat Party,” Grenell said, responding to the election results. Even Nancy Pelosi ran away from him.”
In California, Wiener has pushed policies like California’s transgender shield laws, creating a sanctuary state for those seeking cross-sex hormones and sex-change surgeries, and mandating that foster families recognize and accommodate trans-identifying children in their care. He was also behind a push to reduce the mandatory sentence guidelines for people who knowingly exposed others to HIV, The Daily Wire previously reported.
Tuesday’s results allow Pelosi’s machine to fight another day but shed light on the growing tension between the party’s old guard and an increasingly restless far-Left base.
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