SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) — State Sen. Scott Wiener led the field on primary night in the race to represent California’s 11th Congressional District, the San Francisco seat held by Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi since 1987. Speaking with Diya TV’s Ravi Kapur shortly after results came in on June 2, Wiener said he was grateful for the support and outlined the issues he intends to focus on if elected to Congress.
“I’m incredibly grateful to the voters,” Wiener said. “I’ve had the honor of serving this community for a long time, working on the issues that matter most in San Francisco — housing, public transportation, healthcare, sticking up for immigrants and LGBTQ people. And we want to take that work to Congress and make big change for this country.”
Pelosi’s decision not to seek re-election opened the seat for the first competitive race there in nearly four decades. Eleven candidates appeared on the June 2 primary ballot. Under California’s top-two system, the two highest vote-getters advance to the November 3 general election regardless of party.
With roughly half of expected votes counted by early Wednesday morning, Wiener led the field with approximately 41.3% of the vote, or about 44,479 ballots. San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan, who was endorsed by Pelosi, was in second place with around 28.6% and approximately 30,853 votes. Indian American Saikat Chakrabarti, a former campaign manager for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, stood at roughly 14.9% in third. NBC News and the Associated Press projected Wiener and Chan as the two candidates advancing to the general election. Mail-in and provisional ballots will continue to be counted, and final results will not be certified until July 10.
Before running for Congress, Wiener served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and has represented District 11 in the California State Senate since 2016. He has authored more than 100 bills signed into law and has chaired the Senate Housing Committee, the Senate Budget Committee, and the Senate Human Services Committee. His legislation has addressed housing production, mental health care access, LGBTQ rights, and public transportation.
When asked whether a single member of Congress can realistically drive change, Wiener emphasized the role of coalition-building over individual action.
“In Congress it’s never about one person. It’s always working as a team. And yes, one person can help put together the team and the coalitions to get big things done. But it’s never just about one person,” he said. “In my time in local government on the board of supervisors and in the state senate, I have been able to assemble coalitions and work with other people to make big moves on issues like housing and healthcare.”
During the interview, Wiener also commented on other races on the California ballot. He noted that the governor’s race appeared to be headed toward a Democrat-versus-Republican general election matchup and said Fiona Ma appeared to be in a strong position. He added that the superintendent of public instruction race looked favorable.
“I think we’re going to move in a good direction in California,” he said.
Wiener and Chan will face each other in the November 3 general election.
