State Sen. Scott Wiener advances to general election in race to succeed Pelosi in Congress, CBS News projects

Voters in San Francisco on Tuesday advanced state Sen. Scott Wiener in the race to succeed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in California’s 11th Congressional District, CBS News projects. The other candidate to advance has not yet been projected.

Eight Democrats, two Republicans and one no party preference candidate ran to represent the 11th District, the boundaries for which are entirely within San Francisco and cover most neighborhoods in the city except for the Excelsior District, Ocean View, Portola and Visitacion Valley. 

The top two vote-getters will advance to the November election.

The Democratic field includes economic policy director Saikat Chakrabarti, San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan and State Sen. Wiener, along with John “Gus” Buffler, a rocket scientist, small business owner Keith Freedman, technology advocate Omed Hamid, civil rights advocate Gregory Haynes, attorney and reform advocate Marie Hurabiell. 

The Republicans running for the seat are newspaper publisher David Ganezer and social management scientist Jingchao Xiong. Nathan Deer, a homeowners’ association treasurer, is running under no party preference.

A San Francisco Chronicle poll released in early May found Wiener leading the race with 40%, while Chakrabarti and Chan are in a statistical dead heat for second place, at 18% and 17%, respectively.

Wiener has represented San Francisco and northern San Mateo County in the state Senate since 2016 and has previously served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

During his time in Sacramento, Wiener authored key legislation later signed into law including bills to expand the supply of housing and ban most law enforcement wearing face masks and a proposed tax measure to fund Bay Area transit. Wiener received the endorsement of the California Democratic Party at its convention in February.

A former software engineer, Chakrabarti entered politics by joining Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign, eventually becoming chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York). Chakrabarti has spent the most money in the race, $8.8 million as of May 13 according to Federal Election Commission data.

Chan was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2020, representing the Richmond District, Sea Cliff, Presidio Terrace and other neighborhoods in the northwestern part of the city. Earlier this month, Chan received Pelosi’s endorsement.

Pelosi, 86, is ending a historic career in Congress, which included becoming the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 1987.