san francisco — The California state legislator preferred it Successor to Nancy Pelosi The US House of Representatives has already been thrust into the national spotlight as the force behind headline-grabbing policies such as Banning masks For federal agents and protection Transgender youth.
Scott Wiener is now expected to win the California Democratic Party’s endorsement on Sunday, giving his candidacy an extra boost in the competitive primary. Once in Washington, he could quickly become a new symbol of San Francisco politics, where conservatives deride him as an example of extreme liberalism while occasionally clashing with progressives.
Weiner is trained in this balance after 15 years in city and state politics.
“Senator Weiner is just paying the tough bills,” said Chris Micheli, a longtime Sacramento lobbyist. “He’s never shy about getting into a big political fight.”
Weiner’s challenge in navigating modern Democratic politics became apparent last January, when he changed his tune regarding the war in Gaza. Days after he refused to join his progressive opponents in calling Israel’s actions genocide, he said he agreed with the term. The shift angered some Jewish groups and prompted Weiner to step down from his position as co-chair of the state Legislative Jewish Caucus.
“I chose for a while not to use the word ‘genocide’ because it is so sensitive within the Jewish community,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. “But I finally decided that I had been saying the word ‘genocide’ for some time.”
Known for his calm demeanor, Weiner is often at the center of California’s most divisive issues, from housing to drug abuse. His supporters and critics alike describe him as someone who relentlessly defends his bills.
“If you’re willing to risk people being angry with you, you can get things done and make people’s lives better,” Weiner said.
He wrote laws requiring large companies to do so Detect their direct and indirect climate emissions And intensify Building apartments near public transportation stations.
But he doesn’t always win.
Weiner authored a first-of-its-kind law in the country banning local and federal law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings after a wave of… Immigration raids Through Southern California last summer. A judge blocked it from taking effect this month — a rare loss in the state’s legal battles with the Trump administration that Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office blamed on Weiner.
He also failed to pass high-profile bills to Decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms and Holding oil and gas companies responsible For damage caused by climate-induced natural disasters.
His critics come from both parties.
Republicans have criticized many of his policies aimed at defending people from the LGBTQ+ community, sometimes calling “Winer,” who is gay. Offensive names.
Aaron Peskin, a former San Francisco supervisor and outspoken progressive, said the law Weiner wrote inadvertently stifled local housing and affordability efforts.
“It has weakened my government’s ability to deliver goods and services to the people we represent,” he said.
Weiner said he supports Israel’s right to defend itself, but he was horrified by the scale of its attacks on Gaza and the denial of humanitarian aid. more than 70 thousand Palestinians They have been killed since the war began in late 2023, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. He strongly criticized Israel’s actions but avoided using the word ” Genocide“.
At a candidate forum in January, he refused to say “yes” or “no” after Democratic candidates were asked whether Israel was committing genocide, angering pro-Palestinian supporters. His opponents, San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan and former technology executive Saikat Chakrabarty, answered “yes.”
Days later, he posted a video in which he said Israel had committed genocide, sparking a backlash from Jewish and pro-Israel groups who said his words lacked “moral clarity.”
It was representative of the difficult political terrain that many Democrats navigate Polls show that views have changed On Israel. American sympathy for Israel fell to an all-time low in 2025, especially among Democrats and independents, while sympathy for the Palestinians rose.
“Do I think he wins or loses on this issue? Not necessarily, but it could become an issue for him,” said Jim Ross, a San Francisco Bay Area political consultant, adding that some voters may fear he will evade issues that are important to them.
Only two Jewish members of Congress — independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic Rep. Becca Balint, both of Vermont — have publicly used the word “genocide” to describe Israel’s actions. Only a small percentage of Democrats in Congress have used the term, according to the Jewish Democratic Council of America.
Weiner grew up in New Jersey in a Conservative Jewish family, a fairly traditional Jewish sect, and his only friends until high school were from his synagogue, he said. He later joined the Jewish fraternity at Duke University and was surprised by how supportive his brothers were when he told them he was gay.
“A lot of Jews understand intuitively what it means to be part of a marginalized community,” he said.
Pelosi, the former House Speaker, did not offer an endorsement in the race.
If elected, Weiner said, he would work to lower San Francisco’s high costs of living. His opponents make a similar promise and say he has failed to prioritize affordable housing.
Chan and Chakrabarti, a former aide to U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., say they are newer faces better positioned to create sweeping change after Pelosi. They say Weiner is a moderate with ties to the establishment. Chan has been elected twice by voters in the city’s Richmond district, while Chakrabarti has never been on the ballot.
Ross, the political consultant, said it’s impossible to compare anyone to Pelosi given the sheer scale of her political influence. But like her, Weiner has proven to be a powerful networker who can raise money and pass ambitious bills.
“They’re about the politics of what they can accomplish,” Ross said.
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Associated Press writer Janie Harr contributed.