State Sen. Scott Wiener addresses lawmakers during a Senate floor session at the state Capitol in Sacramento on Jan. 23, 2025. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters

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It’s official: Sen. Scott Wiener is finally running for Congress.

The San Francisco lawmaker’s announcement today made clear that he’s done waiting for former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to step aside, as he previously insisted he would.

But rather than rely on his many legislative accomplishments – which span from fast-tracking housing development to policing reforms – the five-term state senator spent the majority of his launch video promising to fight back against President Donald Trump’s agenda and defend his city, which the president has threatened to target next for troop deployment.

“My family escaped fascism in Europe. I never thought the United States would slip into fascism like we’re seeing today,” Wiener tells viewers, holding a photo of his ancestors before the video cuts to distorted and dystopic images of President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and billionaire Elon Musk.

“I’m running for Congress to defend San Francisco – our values, our people, and the constitution of the United States – with everything I have.”

Wiener joins a race that also includes progressive challenger Saikat Chakrabarti, the former chief of staff to New York’s Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. Chakrabarti has been vocal in urging Pelosi to step aside and make room for a younger generation of leaders.

Pelosi has said she will announce her plans for 2026 after the statewide special election on Nov. 4. She was first elected to Congress in 1987 and led her party in the House from the George W. Bush administration through former President Joe Biden’s time in office.

Wiener is best known for pushing legislation in Sacramento that speeds up development of new housing by blowing holes in California’s landmark environmental laws, which housing advocates say are too often weaponized to indefinitely delay projects.

He pushed controversial legislation this year that speeds up construction of apartment buildings near public transit stops in the state’s largest metro areas, which would allow for taller buildings in single-family neighborhoods. He also authored a new law this year that bans immigration and customs enforcement agents from wearing ski masks to conceal their identities.