Scott Wiener

According to his official and campaign biographies, Wiener grew up in New Jersey, the son of a small business owner and a public school teacher, and attended public schools.[1][2] He holds a bachelor's degree from Duke University and a law degree from Harvard Law School, and he spent a year in Chile on a Fulbright Scholarship doing historical research.[3][1][2] He spent fifteen years practicing law before holding elected office, working as a law clerk for Justice Alan Handler of the New Jersey Supreme Court, in private practice at Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe, and as a Deputy City Attorney in the San Francisco City Attorney's Office.[1][3]

Wiener has lived in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood since 1997. Before taking office he co-chaired the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, BALIF, and the San Francisco LGBTQ Community Center, and served on the national board of the Human Rights Campaign, according to his Senate biography.[1] He represented District 8 on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 2011 to 2016. His office says he authored laws there on paid parental leave, water recycling and solar power in new developments, and expediting affordable housing approval.[3][1] He was first elected to the California State Senate in 2016, succeeding Mark Leno in District 11, which includes San Francisco, Broadmoor, Colma, and Daly City and portions of South San Francisco and San Bruno.[3][1]

In the Senate, Wiener chairs the Elections Committee and previously chaired the Budget, Housing, and Human Services committees. He also sits on the Public Safety, Judiciary, Transportation, and Privacy committees.[1] His office lists among his authored measures SB 35 and SB 423 (housing permit streamlining), SB 79 (housing near transit), SB 822 (net neutrality), SB 253 (corporate emissions disclosure), and SB 855 (mental health and addiction coverage).[1] He advanced from the June 2, 2026 top-two primary, where he received 40.7% of the vote, to the general election for the seat Nancy Pelosi is leaving.[3] During the campaign, he ran on his legislative record, which his campaign describes as including more than 100 state laws.[2] He won the November 3, 2026 general election with 53.6% of the vote to Connie Chan's 46.4%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[4]