State Sen. Scott Wiener on Nancy Pelosi, his run for Congress and Prop 50 | California Politics 360
Joining us now is state Senator Scott Weiner. Senator Weiner, thank you so much for joining the program. Thank you for having me. So I want to start with just your first thought when you heard about Nancy Pelosi’s announcement that she’s not running for re-election in 2026. Well, you know, I, I knew that she was giving us *** lot of thought and then not decided, uh, and so, uh, I was, you know, first of all, just, it was good to know what her plans are, uh, but bigger picture, uh, this is *** huge event for San Francisco and frankly for the country. Uh, Nancy Pelosi for nearly 40 years has been at the center of so much that has happened in this country, whether it is uh expanding healthcare access to tens of millions of people who have healthcare access in significant part because of Nancy Pelosi, or expanding clean energy, uh, or, you know, not once but twice, helping save the our economy during COVID and during the Great Recession. Uh, or the work she’s done, uh, for people living with HIV, uh, she’s, uh, *** truly like not just iconic, but she moved mountains for San Francisco and for the country. She just being this historic figure in the city. And uh with your announcement that you were going to run for the seat *** couple weeks ago, with this week’s announcement, do you, do you wish that you would have waited, or do you think that your announcement may have pushed her in this direction at least *** little bit? No, I don’t think my announcement, uh, really impacted her decision. For anyone who knows Nancy Pelosi, uh, that they know. So that Nancy Pelosi, she makes her own decisions. Uh, you know, for me, I know, I, I don’t, uh, regret it at all. We, uh, you know, there, we’re only *** few months out from the filing deadline. There’s *** race happening. There’s *** very wealthy individual who is self-funding. Uh, and, um, uh, you know, I, I needed to get in, in, in the race. And, uh, I, you know, uh, but no, I don’t think that impacted her decision at all. There was the slight chance that maybe you were gonna go head to head in this race, but even as her possible opponent in the rearview mirror, I mean how has she inspired you as *** politician in California? Well, first of all, she inspired me as *** as *** gay man, um because she was the one who went onto the floor of the House of Representatives on the day she was sworn in in 1987. Uh, and said, I have come here to Congress to fight AIDS, uh, and, um, there weren’t that many, uh, leaders in the country saying things like that in 1987. Uh, that was also the year 1987 that I, as ***, uh, *** gay teenager admitted to myself that I was gay, which was *** terrifying time, uh, in the community with *** mass die-off of gay men. Uh, and for Nancy Pelosi to use her power and privilege and platform, uh, to say I’m here to fight AIDS, that was extraordinary. So I am eternally grateful to her, uh, for standing up for our community, as she has done so many times, and many others are grateful, uh, as well. Uh, but she also just, you. You know, inspires me in terms of what I think it takes to be an effective elected official, uh, and what San Franciscans, um, demand, uh, which is to have *** moral compass and core values, uh, that you uphold, uh, to have *** spine of steel and be willing to fight. Uh, and, uh, to know how to deliver and know how to build the diverse coalitions necessary to deliver on these core values. Uh, she had all of these, uh, skills, she has these skills, uh, and I’m eternally grateful for everything she’s done. On the flip side of that though, looking ahead now, if you are elected to represent San Francisco in the US House of Representatives, what will you do differently than Nancy Pelosi? It’s not about what I’ll do differently than Nancy Pelosi. We’re different people. Um, some people have said, are you gonna, you know, how does it feel to wanna step into her shoes? And my response is that her stiletto pumps are unique and no one is gonna be able to wear those pumps. Uh, my shoes are not nearly as, uh, glamorous as hers. But seriously, there will never be another Nancy Pelosi. She is *** unique leader in American history, uh, and she stands alone. Um, and for me, I’m going to be Scott Weiner, as I always have been, uh, which means I’m gonna fight, uh, to make housing more plentiful and more affordable, uh, to expand access to healthcare and to try to reduce health care costs and move towards universal. Uh, health care, uh, to expand clean energy, to protect immigrants and LGBTQ people, and to, um, uh, try to make sure that Donald Trump is no longer president of the United States because he’s *** disaster for our democracy. Nancy Pelosi was waiting for Proposition 50, at least it had been reported. She was waiting for the outcome of that election. And I wonder just from your perspective at this point as someone who’s trying to get in uh as *** member of Congress, do you see Prop 50 having *** major shakeup in what representation looks like for Californians, especially when it comes to Democrats? Uh, well, I’m Prop 50 at first, I am, I, I was optimistic it was going to pass. I did not anticipate it would pass at *** nearly 2 to 1 margin. Uh, and that just shows, uh, not just in the Bay Area in LA, but it did really well in the in parts of the Central Valley. Um, I think Californians, um, you know, understand and have shown what I think we’ve seen across the country, and that is that people are not OK with throwing. Tens of millions of people off health care, or uh deporting mothers who are raising children and working and paying taxes, or sending masked secret police into neighborhoods, or uh um. You know, causing trade wars that increase inflation. People aren’t OK with these things, uh, and Prop 50 showed that, uh, but it also means we will have, uh, I, I believe, *** larger demo Democratic delegation, uh, uh, in Congress out of California, uh, and, you know, listen, none of us wanted to do *** mid-decade uh redistricting that wasn’t something that was on any of our bingo cards coming into this year. Uh, but, you know, Donald Trump and Texas, etc. gave us no choice. They started the the fight and we’re finishing it. On that note with Prop 50, um, assemblyman Carl DeMaio filed this proposed ballot initiative that’s now gathering signatures, um, that Attempts to prohibit any state lawmaker like yourself who voted to put Prop 50 on the ballot from running for not just Congress but any elected office for the next decade and he says that this these are and and the independent commission is also noted these are rules that apply to the state’s independent redistricting commission. What’s your response to that? I mean, uh, with all due respect to Mr. DiMaio, he’s *** grandstander, uh, and he’s grandstanding here. That’s, that’s *** really ridiculous idea. I want to be clear for me, my this congressional district that I am running in did not change at all in Prop 50 was not impacted. So to suggest that we were all redrawing the lines for our advantage is is it’s absurd. That’s not what happened. Uh, that’s conspiracy brain in the extreme. Uh, and, uh, the idea that we would say that ***, um, an elected official getting experience can’t run for another office is that’s just destructive for California. Uh, the voters should be able to pick whoever they want and not be told no, this person who you may really like is ineligible to run. Uh, so that it’s just *** ridiculous, uh, performative, uh, proposal. All right, Senator Scott Weiner, thank you so much again for your time. We really appreciate it. Thank you.
State Sen. Scott Wiener on Nancy Pelosi, his run for Congress and Prop 50 | California Politics 360
Updated: 8:28 AM PST Nov 9, 2025
San Francisco State Sen. Scott Wiener said he does not regret the timing of his announced run for Congress, which came two weeks before the woman who currently has the seat, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, announced she won’t seek re-election. “I knew she was giving this a lot of thought,” Wiener said on California Politics 360. “It was good to know her plans, but bigger picture, this is a huge event for San Francisco and frankly, for the country.” Wiener spoke warmly about Pelosi and her historic career representing San Francisco in the U.S. House of Representatives. He noted she has been influential in his personal life as a gay man and his political life. She could have been his opponent in the 2026 midterm election had she decided to seek re-election. Pelosi told CNN last week it’s a race she would have won. “I don’t think my announcement really impacted her decision,” Wiener said. “For anyone who knows Nancy Pelosi, she makes her own decisions.” Wiener noted there is a “very wealthy individual who is self-funding” in the race, referring to Saikat Chakrabarti. Chakrabarti has been a software engineer and is known for being the former campaign manager and chief of staff for Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.”I needed to get in,” he said. Reflecting on Pelosi’s career, Wiener noted she was the one who went onto the floor of the House of Representatives from the day she was sworn in in 1987, and said, ‘I have come here to Congress to fight AIDS.'”There weren’t that many, leaders in the country saying things like that in 1987,” Wiener said. “To uphold, to have a spine of steel and be willing to fight, and to know how to deliver and know how to build the diverse coalitions necessary to deliver on these core values. She had all of these, skills. She has these skills. And I’m eternally grateful for everything she’s done.”Wiener would not say what he would do differently than Pelosi, if elected. “Some people have said, ‘How does it feel to want to step into her shoes?’ and my response is that her stiletto pumps are unique and no one is going to be able to wear those pumps,” he said. Pelosi announced her retirement days after California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 50, which changed California’s congressional districts to favor Democrats in upcoming elections to the U.S. House of Representatives. Pelosi’s district was not changed at all with the new maps. Wiener said he was surprised Prop 50 passed as overwhelmingly as it did. When asked about a proposed ballot initiative in 2026 that would prohibit state lawmakers like him who voted to put Prop 50 on the ballot from running for office, he said the Assemblyman who wrote it was “grandstanding.” “To suggest we were all redrawing the lines for our advantage is absurd,” Wiener said. “That’s not what happened. That’s conspiracy brain in the extreme. The idea that we would say that an elected official getting experience can’t run for another office is just destructive for California. The voters should be able to pick whoever they want and not be told, ‘No, this person who you may really like is ineligible to run.'” You can watch the full interview with Senator Scott Wiener in the video player above. KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.
San Francisco State Sen. Scott Wiener said he does not regret the timing of his announced run for Congress, which came two weeks before the woman who currently has the seat, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, announced she won’t seek re-election.
“I knew she was giving this a lot of thought,” Wiener said on California Politics 360. “It was good to know her plans, but bigger picture, this is a huge event for San Francisco and frankly, for the country.”
Wiener spoke warmly about Pelosi and her historic career representing San Francisco in the U.S. House of Representatives. He noted she has been influential in his personal life as a gay man and his political life.
She could have been his opponent in the 2026 midterm election had she decided to seek re-election. Pelosi told CNN last week it’s a race she would have won.
“I don’t think my announcement really impacted her decision,” Wiener said. “For anyone who knows Nancy Pelosi, she makes her own decisions.”
Wiener noted there is a “very wealthy individual who is self-funding” in the race, referring to Saikat Chakrabarti. Chakrabarti has been a software engineer and is known for being the former campaign manager and chief of staff for Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“I needed to get in,” he said.
Reflecting on Pelosi’s career, Wiener noted she was the one who went onto the floor of the House of Representatives from the day she was sworn in in 1987, and said, ‘I have come here to Congress to fight AIDS.’
“There weren’t that many, leaders in the country saying things like that in 1987,” Wiener said. “To uphold, to have a spine of steel and be willing to fight, and to know how to deliver and know how to build the diverse coalitions necessary to deliver on these core values. She had all of these, skills. She has these skills. And I’m eternally grateful for everything she’s done.”
Wiener would not say what he would do differently than Pelosi, if elected.
“Some people have said, ‘How does it feel to want to step into her shoes?’ and my response is that her stiletto pumps are unique and no one is going to be able to wear those pumps,” he said.
Pelosi announced her retirement days after California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 50, which changed California’s congressional districts to favor Democrats in upcoming elections to the U.S. House of Representatives. Pelosi’s district was not changed at all with the new maps.
Wiener said he was surprised Prop 50 passed as overwhelmingly as it did.
When asked about a proposed ballot initiative in 2026 that would prohibit state lawmakers like him who voted to put Prop 50 on the ballot from running for office, he said the Assemblyman who wrote it was “grandstanding.”
“To suggest we were all redrawing the lines for our advantage is absurd,” Wiener said. “That’s not what happened. That’s conspiracy brain in the extreme. The idea that we would say that an elected official getting experience can’t run for another office is just destructive for California. The voters should be able to pick whoever they want and not be told, ‘No, this person who you may really like is ineligible to run.'”
You can watch the full interview with Senator Scott Wiener in the video player above.
KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.