State Sen. Scott Wiener will be leading his annual pumpkin-carving event in San Francisco’s Noe Valley this weekend, a family-friendly event marred last year by anti-Israel protesters who handed out disparaging flyers and shouted “Intifada! Intifada!” and “Wiener, Wiener, whaddya say? How many kids have you killed today?”
For Wiener, a gay, Jewish progressive who supports Israel, it was familiar territory. For years, the Democrat has been targeted and harassed by detractors ranging from right-wing transphobes to left-wing anti-Zionists — something he anticipates facing once again as he runs for the seat in Congress held by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Wiener announced his run in an Instagram reel on Wednesday, taking the opportunity to deride President Donald Trump’s authoritarianism.
“My family escaped fascism in Europe,” Wiener said, holding a framed black-and-white family photo. “I never thought the United States would slip into fascism like we’re seeing today.”
“We’re now living under an aspiring authoritarian regime threatening our democracy,” Wiener later told J. “The Democratic Party needs to retool to fight authoritarianism and to really focus on the issues that impact people’s daily lives around housing and health care and many others.”
Wiener, who is co-chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, seeks to represent San Francisco on a platform that closely matches what he has supported during his nearly 10 years in the state Senate. Those priorities include LGBTQ youth, transgender and immigrant protections.
On his campaign website, Wiener vowed to protect immigrants and to “get ICE out of California.” In the most recent legislative session, he authored SB 627 to ban local and federal law enforcement from wearing face coverings — a controversial practice under the Trump administration. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law in September, and it goes into effect Jan. 1.
Although hints of Wiener’s intention to pursue federal office have spread among local and national news outlets since 2023, Wiener previously had said he would wait until Pelosi retired and that he would not run against her. He said the conduct of the Trump administration, however, has added a sense of urgency that led him to announce his run in the 2026 primary.
Wiener, 55, said he has “enormous respect” for Pelosi, a fellow progressive Democrat, and praised what she’s done for San Francisco and the entire country. But he added: “There is an active race happening now, and the filing deadline is just a few months away. So I decided that now is the time to get in the race.”
Pelosi, who is 85 and has served in Congress since 1987, has not yet publicly stated whether she plans to retire or run for re-election — a decision that will make a significant difference in the race. One San Francisco candidate already announced in February his bid for the congressional seat: Saikat Chakrabarti, former chief of staff for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
Wiener has spoken publicly about the ongoing harassment he has faced. While personal attacks against him may continue during the congressional race, they are unlikely to affect his voter base, according to Sam Lauter, a San Francisco political consultant who sits on the board of Democratic Majority for Israel.
Lauter said those who would oppose Wiener because of his Jewish identity or pro-Israel views are either not reliable voters or are already lined up behind Chakrabarti, who seeks to end U.S. funding for Israel’s military over objections to its war against Hamas in Gaza.
Wiener has been as vocal about his support for the State of Israel as he has been critical of its current government. In an August rally at San Francisco Civic Center Plaza, Wiener called for an end to Israel’s war in Gaza and for the replacement of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
“The anti-Israel folks have been going after me for a long time,” Wiener told J. “That won’t stop me from sticking up for the Jewish community, fighting antisemitism and supporting Israel, while also being intensely critical of the way this government in Israel has conducted itself.”
Although Jewish advocacy is not listed as one of his campaign priorities, Wiener has been co-chair of the Jewish caucus for two years and has led several prominent efforts in the Legislature to combat antisemitism and to protect Jewish students.
On Oct. 7, Gov. Newsom signed into law AB 715, a landmark bill backed by the caucus that seeks to prevent antisemitic incidents in the state’s K-12 schools, in part by appointing an antisemitism prevention coordinator.
In 2024, the caucus backed four bills to strengthen Holocaust education and anti-discrimination training in public schools. All four were signed into law.
If he wins the congressional seat in the November 2026 general election, Wiener said he will look forward to continuing his Jewish advocacy at the federal level by joining the new Congressional Jewish Caucus.
Established in February by Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Florida), the caucus is designed to enable Jewish members of Congress to jointly advocate on issues affecting American Jews.