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Hardline progressive who passed law letting trans women into female prisons and who insists they should be allowed to compete against female athletes wins Nancy Pelosi’s old seat
California state Senator Scott Wiener has won the race for the 11th Congressional District, taking Nancy Pelosi’s former San Francisco seat after opponent Connie Chan conceded. His victory ends Pelosi’s nearly four-decade hold on the seat and makes Wiener the first openly LGBTQ person to represent San Francisco in Congress.
Wiener, 56, had 55 per cent of the vote to Chan’s 44 per cent, with about 57 per cent counted. He authored a 2020 California law allowing transgender, non-binary and intersex inmates to request housing that matches their gender identity, and has supported transgender women competing in women’s sport. The campaign also drew criticism over an AI parody chatbot and billboards targeting Chan, which Wiener’s team later said it would remove.
In short
- Scott Wiener wins Pelosi’s former San Francisco seat.
- He led Connie Chan 55 per cent to 44 per cent with 57 per cent counted.
- His record on transgender rights and campaign tactics drew attention.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters can argue that Wiener’s election reflects voters’ choice of an experienced legislator whose policies recognise transgender people’s dignity and allow individual circumstances to be considered in prison housing. They may see inclusion in women’s sport as a matter of equal participation, while favouring fair, sport-specific rules to address competitive concerns. His win also brings an openly LGBTQ representative to Congress from San Francisco.
The case against
Critics can argue that prison placement and women’s sport categories should give substantial weight to sex-based privacy, safety and competitive fairness, and that gender identity should not determine these questions on its own. They may contend that the law’s housing approach risks placing too much responsibility on individual requests, and that allowing transgender women into women’s competitions could disadvantage female athletes. The campaign’s chatbot and billboards may also raise concerns about the tone of political campaigning.