Christine Pelosi launches state Senate campaign for SF, not a run for Congress
San Francisco women’s rights attorney Christine Pelosi said Monday she is seeking the seat of state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, who is running to replace her mother, retiring Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, in 2026.
“I am running to represent you, San Francisco, in Sacramento,” the younger Pelosi said in a campaign video, echoing the love letter to the city that the speaker emerita rolled out last week when announcing she would retire after 39 years in the House. KQED first reported her campaign launch.
In her video, Pelosi said she was running to protect immigrants, women’s rights, consumers and gun violence survivors from the “threats we face,” implicitly referring to President Donald Trump, who recently threatened to conduct deportation raids in San Francisco and has frequently criticized the Pelosi family.
Christine Pelosi, who until Monday was considered her mother’s likely heir apparent on Capitol Hill, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Wiener’s current term does not end until 2028, and he would remain in that seat until then if he does not succeed in next year’s midterms.
In addition to Pelosi, San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who currently serves in Wiener’s former city position, filed an intent to run for the Senate district in 2028.
Mandelman said he would consider running for other state offices if candidates like Assemblyman Matt Haney, whose spokesperson confirmed is also eyeing Wiener’s seat, get in the race.
A long active member of the state Democratic Party, Pelosi came to the fore in 2017 after longstanding accusations of sexual harassment and assault roiled the Legislature in the wake of the explosive “Me Too” culture shift.
As chair of the party’s Women’s Caucus, Pelosi called for the Capitol to install an independent commission and release records of lawmakers accused of wrongdoing. In 2018, the Legislature created the Workplace Conduct Unit within the Office of Legislative Counsel.
In addition, Pelosi is a former San Francisco prosecutor and represents California on the Democratic National Committee.
This story was originally published November 10, 2025 at 8:58 AM.
