Democrat · California's 11th District · 2026
Scott Wiener
Wiener grew up helping his mother fold newsletters for a tiny New Jersey synagogue that met in a Lutheran church.
Biography
Scott Wiener's childhood chores included folding and mailing the newsletter for his parents' small New Jersey synagogue, which initially met in a Lutheran church.1 His parents were a small business owner and a public school teacher, and he attended public schools.2 He came out as gay while studying at Duke.1
Wiener earned a bachelor's degree at Duke and a law degree at Harvard.2 His education also took him to Chile for a Fulbright year of historical research.2 He moved to San Francisco's Castro neighborhood in 1997 and worked as a litigation attorney before becoming a deputy city attorney.21
Wiener represented the Castro on the Board of Supervisors before entering California's Senate in 2016.3 He chairs the state Senate's Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee and its Bay Area public transit select committee.4 His city legislation included employer paid parental leave and measures addressing accessory homes, water recycling and solar power in new developments.2
His congressional campaign emphasizes housing production, public transportation, affordability and LGBTQ rights, drawing on his city and state legislative work.2 He and fellow Democrat Connie Chan are the two November finalists to succeed Nancy Pelosi.3
Record and controversies
Campaign AI chatbot
In August 2026, Wiener's campaign launched an AI chatbot that impersonated rival Connie Chan and criticized her record.5 Pelosi objected to the AI impersonation, while Chan's campaign said it mocked an immigrant woman of color.5 Wiener described it as parody about policy differences, then removed it August 7 and apologized for causing offense, saying the tactic had overshadowed the issues.5