Overview
- California State Sen. Scott Wiener announced his 2026 bid on Oct. 22, declaring a run for the U.S. House seat long held by Nancy Pelosi.
- Pelosi has not said whether she will seek reelection, with her office saying she is focused on the Nov. 4 Proposition 50 special election.
- Wiener framed his campaign as a defense of San Francisco against President Trump and “MAGA extremists,” saying the U.S. is “slipping into fascism.”
- The field already includes Saikat Chakrabarti, a 39-year-old tech millionaire and former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who launched his campaign earlier this year.
- Wiener points to a record on housing reforms such as SB79 and to a new California law restricting most law enforcement, including federal agents, from concealing their faces, a measure federal officials say the state cannot enforce.