Christine Pelosi, daughter of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said Monday she will run for the California state Senate seat currently held by Sen. Scott Wiener, with the next regular election set for 2028. The move follows Nancy Pelosi’s Nov. 6 announcement that she will not seek reelection and will leave Congress at the end of her term in January 2027.
Christine Pelosi announced she will seek a California state Senate seat representing San Francisco, positioning herself for the next regularly scheduled election in 2028 for the seat now held by Sen. Scott Wiener. She disclosed her plans in a short video posted on social media. (sfchronicle.com)
“I’m running to represent San Francisco in Sacramento, fighting for consumer rights, women’s rights, gun violence survivors, immigrants and our most vulnerable communities,” Pelosi said in the video. “What do we do when our freedoms are under attack? We speak up, we fight back and we organize power for the people.” (sfchronicle.com)
Pelosi, 59, is an attorney and longtime Democratic organizer who has served in various party roles and worked as special counsel at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Clinton–Gore administration. She has not previously held elective office. (sfchronicle.com)
Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat first elected to the Legislature in 2016, has already launched a 2026 campaign for the U.S. House seat Nancy Pelosi will vacate. He is known for progressive priorities on housing and LGBTQ rights and recently authored the “No Secret Police Act,” a new state law signed Sept. 20 that bars most on-duty federal and local officers—including ICE agents—from wearing identity-concealing masks, with exemptions. (cbsnews.com)
After Nancy Pelosi announced her plans, Wiener praised her on X, writing: “Thank you, Madam Speaker. In 1987, I was a closeted teenager terrified of a world that seemed determined to eliminate gay people. You used your platform in Congress to fight AIDS — to fight for people like me.” (lgbtqnation.com)
Nancy Pelosi said in her Nov. 6 video that she will not seek another term and looks forward to “my final year of service as your proud representative.” Her term ends Jan. 3, 2027. (abc7news.com)
Pelosi’s announcement comes days after California voters approved Proposition 50, a statewide measure that implements a new congressional map expected to benefit Democrats in upcoming elections; supporters cast it as a response to Texas’ midcycle redistricting. (apnews.com)
The contest to succeed Nancy Pelosi is already taking shape. Declared candidates include Wiener and Saikat Chakrabarti, a former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan is also considered a potential contender. (en.wikipedia.org)
Pelosi noted the state Senate seat is not up until 2028; if Wiener wins the House race and vacates earlier, a special election could open the seat sooner. She has not indicated whether she would run in a special election. (kqed.org)
