Scott Wiener wins California Democratic endorsement for Pelosi House bid

California state Senator Scott Wiener secured the California Democratic Party’s endorsement Sunday for his campaign to succeed Nancy Pelosi in the U.S. House. The endorsement provides significant momentum in a competitive primary for a San Francisco seat that has been a Democratic stronghold for decades. Wiener, who has spent 15 years in city and state politics, is known for advancing contentious legislation on housing and LGBTQ+ protections. His candidacy has been shadowed by controversy over his recent shift on describing Israel’s military operations in Gaza as genocide.

The race illustrates the terrain modern Democrats navigate as their coalition fractures over the Middle East conflict, housing costs, and the pace of change. Wiener’s approach—advancing ambitious policy while managing rival factions—echoes Nancy Pelosi’s political model, though his opponents argue he is too moderate and too embedded in establishment politics.

A California legislator known for policy fights wins party backing for Pelosi’s House seat

California state Senator Scott Wiener, known for advancing contentious bills on housing and LGBTQ+ protections during 15 years in politics, secured the California Democratic Party’s endorsement Sunday in his bid to succeed Nancy Pelosi in the U.S. House.

The endorsement provides momentum in a competitive primary for a San Francisco seat that has been a Democratic stronghold for decades. Yet Wiener’s campaign has been complicated by a high-profile shift in his position on the war in Gaza.

A record of ambitious but uneven legislative efforts

Wiener has built a reputation in Sacramento for tackling divisive issues without hesitation. Lobbyist Chris Micheli said of him: “Sen. Wiener only does the tough bills. He never shies away from a significant political battle.”

Wiener wrote laws requiring large companies to disclose their direct and indirect climate emissions and mandating apartment construction near public transit stops. He also authored a first-in-the-nation law banning local and federal law enforcement agents from wearing face coverings, a response to immigration raids in Southern California last summer.

Yet not all his efforts have succeeded. A federal judge blocked his face-covering ban from taking effect in February. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office blamed Wiener for the law’s legal vulnerability.

Wiener has also failed to advance high-profile bills to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms and to hold oil and gas companies liable for damage from climate-caused natural disasters.

The Gaza controversy: A strategic recalibration

Wiener’s handling of the Israel-Gaza conflict has become the unexpected complication in his candidacy. He said he supports Israel’s right to defend itself but grew horrified by the scale of its attacks on Gaza and its blockade of humanitarian aid. More than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began in late 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

For weeks, Wiener criticized Israel’s military operations harshly but avoided using the term “genocide.” At a candidate forum in January, when Democratic hopefuls were asked whether Israel was committing genocide, Wiener declined to answer yes or no—a refusal that angered pro-Palestinian advocates. His opponents, San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan and former tech executive Saikat Chakrabarti, both answered affirmatively.

Days later, Wiener released a video saying Israel had committed genocide, triggering backlash from Jewish and pro-Israel groups who said his statement lacked “moral clarity.” He stepped down as co-chair of the state Legislative Jewish Caucus.

“For a period of time I chose not to use the word ‘genocide’ because it is so sensitive within the Jewish community,” Wiener told the Associated Press. “But ultimately I decided I had been effectively saying ‘genocide’ for quite some time.”

The controversy reflects broader shifts in Democratic views on the conflict. American sympathy for Israel dropped to an all-time low in 2025, particularly among Democrats and independents, while sympathy for Palestinians has risen. Only two Jewish members of Congress—Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Democratic Representative Becca Balint of Vermont—have publicly used the term “genocide” to describe Israel’s actions, according to the Jewish Democratic Council of America.

Background and the primary race

Wiener grew up in New Jersey in a Conservative Jewish family. He said his only friends until high school were from his synagogue. He later joined a Jewish fraternity at Duke University and said he was surprised by his fraternity brothers’ support when he told them he was gay.

“A lot of Jews just intuitively understand what it means to be part of a marginalized community,” he said.

The primary race also includes Chan, who has been elected twice as a supervisor in San Francisco’s Richmond District, and Chakrabarti, a former aide to U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who has never been on the ballot. Both Chan and Chakrabarti are running on promises to bring down San Francisco’s high cost of living and argue that Wiener has failed to prioritize affordable housing.

Wiener has made the same affordability pledge a centerpiece of his campaign. He said that if elected, he will work to reduce San Francisco’s notoriously high cost of living.

San Francisco political consultant Jim Ross said Wiener’s handling of the Gaza issue could affect the outcome. “Do I think he wins or loses based on this issue? Not necessarily, but it could become a problem for him,” Ross said, adding that some voters might fear he will equivocate on issues important to them.

Former House Speaker Pelosi has not endorsed anyone in the race.