Connie Chan and Scott Wiener Advance in San Francisco Congressional Race
San Francisco voters advanced Connie Chan and Scott Wiener to November's general election to succeed Nancy Pelosi.
Objective Facts
Voters in San Francisco on Tuesday advanced San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan and state Sen. Scott Wiener in the race to succeed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in California's 11th Congressional District. Scott Wiener led the pack at 41.3 percent as of 9:45 p.m. election results, while Connie Chan pulled out on top with 28.6 percent compared to Chakrabarti's 14.9 percent. Connie Chan, who was endorsed by Emerita Pelosi, is in second place and will advance to the general election. If Chan advances and sizable portions of Chakrabarti's base flock to her as the progressive standard-bearer, strategists said she would be very competitive; combined progressive votes initially exceeded Wiener's total. The November general election will feature Wiener, a more moderate candidate, against Chan, a progressive who recently secured Pelosi's endorsement.
Left-Leaning Perspective
Jacobin reported that two progressives—Justice Democrats cofounder Saikat Chakrabarti and union-backed city hall veteran Connie Chan—were fighting to advance, with their race becoming a referendum on the SF left's future. The American Prospect noted that Connie Chan picked up many state and local endorsements expected from a progressive leader, including backing from the California Teachers Association, National Nurses United, and the San Francisco Labor Council, believing her focus on bread-and-butter issues and support among the city's large Asian American population could pay off. San Francisco State University professor John Logan told the SF Examiner that Chan has 'really impressive' labor backing and that her ability to attract very loyal support from across the labor movement could help her make second place. KQED reported that a 24-year-old leading Chan's social media strategy noted that 'Connie is that she's been working for over 20 years in public services' and will 'bring the entire San Francisco progressive movement to Washington,' while Wiener garnered support from big tech donors that steered progressive young voters away.
Right-Leaning Perspective
CalMatters reported that State Sen. Scott Wiener is 'known for advancing pro-housing legislation and LGBTQ rights' and 'easily won the party's endorsement.' GrowSF noted that Wiener 'has become a statewide symbol of pro-housing, pro-transit reform and has been backed by groups like the Housing Action Coalition and SF YIMBY.' The SF Standard reported that despite Chakrabarti's tech ties as an early Stripe employee, the Abundant Future PAC backing Wiener's bid was funded largely from Silicon Valley, including crypto billionaire Chris Larsen, Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan, Yelp cofounder Jeremy Stoppelman, and others who have donated to Wiener's campaign. CalMatters posed the question whether Wiener, who 'passed laws that made it easier to build in California,' can do the same in Congress.
Deep Dive
The primary results reveal fundamental tensions within San Francisco's progressive politics that extend beyond this single race. The race raised questions about what San Francisco has become after decades of skyrocketing housing costs and Silicon Valley encroachment and what its embattled progressive community most values in its torchbearers. Chakrabarti's defeat despite spending $10 million and running one of the biggest field operations in city history demonstrates that money alone cannot overcome local political disadvantages—his lack of elected office experience and thin ties to San Francisco proved decisive, even among progressive voters who theoretically align with his national political network. While all three candidates emphasize progressive policies like universal healthcare and immigrant protections, they differentiate on housing, public safety, and taxes, with Wiener's record including statewide housing legislation while Chan has aligned with local supervisors opposing state streamlining. The November matchup between Wiener and Chan now becomes a contest between moderate-establishment progressivism (Wiener's housing-transit focus backed by Democratic Party machinery) and grassroots-labor progressivism (Chan's bread-and-butter focus backed by unions and Pelosi's institutional authority). The absence of any Republican or moderate Democrat in the general signals the district's deep Democratic lean, making the intra-party debate its decisive contest.
