Scott Wiener, a Democratic state senator who co-chairs the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, announced his intention to run for the congressional seat long held by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who has not said yet if she plans to seek reelection.
In a video he released on Wednesday announcing that he is running to represent the San Francisco district, Wiener said that his family “escaped fascism in Europe” and that he “never thought the United States would slip into fascism like we’re seeing today.”
“San Francisco has always been on the right side of history, standing up for democracy and civil rights even when it’s hard,” he said.
“I’m running for Congress to defend San Francisco, our values, our people and the Constitution of the United States with everything I have,” the state senator said. “I’ve stood up to violence and hate my entire life.”
Dan Schnur, a political science lecturer at Pepperdine University, University of Southern California and University of California, Berkeley, told JNS that “Wiener would be the favorite against anyone except a Pelosi-endorsed candidate, or another candidate named Pelosi.”
“He has done an immense amount of work building his political base and has accomplished highly visible policy achievements that have greatly raised his public profile,” Schnur said.
