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, CBS News projects.
Eight Democrats, two Republicans and one no party preference candidate ran to represent the district, whose boundaries are entirely within San Francisco and cover most of the city’s neighborhoods except for the Excelsior District, Ocean View, Portola and Visitacion Valley.
The top two vote-getters advanced to the November election.
“San Franciscans are ready for bold leadership, real results, and a new generation of leaders that isn’t afraid to take on the toughest fights facing our country,” Wiener said Tuesday night.
“Tonight is an important milestone. But this campaign is not over. We have five more months,” he added. “We’re going to continue building a broad coalition across every neighborhood, every generation, every background, and every community in San Francisco.”
Saikat Chakrabarti, an economic policy director who placed third in the election, released a statement Wednesday.
“This campaign has come to an end, but the challenges facing San Francisco and our country remain, and so does the work of building a future where everyone has access to healthcare, affordable housing, and a government that puts people ahead of corporate interests,” said Chakrabarti. “I love San Francisco and am raising my daughter here. And I’m not going anywhere.”
The Democratic field also included John “Gus” Buffler, a rocket scientist, small business owner Keith Freedman, technology advocate Omed Hamid, civil rights advocate Gregory Haynes, and attorney and reform advocate Marie Hurabiell.
The Republicans that ran for the seat were newspaper publisher David Ganezer and social management scientist Jingchao Xiong. Nathan Deer, a homeowners’ association treasurer, ran under no party preference.
A San Francisco Chronicle poll released in early May found Wiener leading the race with 40%, while Chakrabarti and Chan were in a statistical dead heat for second place at 18% and 17%, respectively.
Chan was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2020, representing the Richmond District, Sea Cliff, Presidio Terrace and other neighborhoods in the northwestern part of the city. Earlier this month, Chan received Pelosi’s endorsement.
Wiener has represented San Francisco and northern San Mateo County in the state Senate since 2016 and has previously served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
During his time in Sacramento, Wiener authored key legislation later signed into law including bills to expand the supply of housing and ban most law enforcement wearing face masks and a proposed tax measure to fund Bay Area transit. Wiener received the endorsement of the California Democratic Party at its convention in February.
A former software engineer, Chakrabarti entered politics by joining Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign, eventually becoming chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York). Chakrabarti had spent the most money in the race, $8.8 million as of May 13 according to Federal Election Commission data.
Pelosi, 86, is ending a historic career in Congress, which included becoming the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 1987.
