Scott Wiener, the California state senator behind some of the most controversial legislation in state history, secured first place in the June 2 primary to replace Nancy Pelosi in Congress, defeating her handpicked successor and positioning himself for an almost certain November victory in the heavily Democratic district.
Primary Results Reject Pelosi’s Endorsement
With 49 percent of votes counted by Wednesday morning, Wiener led with 41.3 percent, decisively ahead of Pelosi-endorsed San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan at 28.6 percent. Former Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti trailed in third place. Under California’s top-two primary system, Wiener will face Chan in November. Pelosi had endorsed Chan weeks before the primary, calling her a trusted ally who understands both the district and Congress. The endorsement failed to sway voters in the race to fill Pelosi’s longtime seat.
Controversial Legislative Record Under Scrutiny
The 56-year-old Harvard Law graduate built his political career on legislation that sparked fierce opposition from conservatives, law enforcement, parents, and women’s rights advocates. His Senate Bill 132, the Transgender Respect, Agency, and Dignity Act signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2020, requires California prisons to house inmates according to self-identified gender identity rather than biological sex. Female inmates and safety groups argue the law endangers women by allowing biological males into female facilities and showers, while Wiener defended it as protecting vulnerable transgender inmates from violence.
In 2017, Wiener authored Senate Bill 239, which reduced penalties for knowingly exposing someone to HIV from a felony to a misdemeanor in many cases. The measure repealed HIV-specific felonies for activities like donating blood or soliciting sex without disclosure. Three years later, his Senate Bill 145 extended judicial discretion on sex-offender registry requirements for consensual acts between minors aged 14 to 17 and adults no more than 10 years older. Conservatives labeled it the pedophile protection bill for removing mandatory lifetime registration requirements that previously applied to men who had sex with underage boys.
Immigration Enforcement in the Crosshairs
Wiener’s Senate Bill 747, the No Kings Act, passed the California Senate in 2026 as first-in-the-nation legislation allowing Californians to sue ICE, Border Patrol, and other federal agents in state court for alleged constitutional violations. The senator has long advocated abolishing ICE entirely, calling it a terror organization, and previously pushed bills banning federal agents from wearing masks during operations despite constant threats from political opponents.