San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan conceded California's 11th Congressional District race to state Sen. Scott Wiener late Wednesday, November 4, ending the closely watched contest to succeed retiring Rep. Nancy Pelosi in Congress. Wiener had declared victory on Tuesday night, but the race remained too close to call as ballots continued to be counted on Wednesday.
By the latest results released at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Chan acknowledged that she no longer had a viable path to victory. "After reviewing the results and the ballots remaining to be counted, while we expect the margin to narrow significantly, we do not have a clear path to victory," Chan said in a statement. "I congratulate Scott Wiener on his election and wish him success in serving San Francisco." Wiener led Chan 55.46 percent to 44.54 percent in Wednesday's returns, according to Decision Desk HQ, with about 57 percent of ballots counted.
Wiener will become the first openly gay person to represent San Francisco in Congress, and his victory ends Pelosi's nearly four-decade hold on the seat. Pelosi first won the district in 1987 and announced her retirement at age 85. Pelosi, who had endorsed Chan in the race, congratulated Wiener on Wednesday and offered her office's help with the transition.
"I'm humbled to carry forward the powerful legacy of this seat - Phil Burton, Sala Burton, and the greatest Speaker in modern American history, Nancy Pelosi," Wiener said in a statement on Wednesday. Both Democrats advanced from California's top-two primary in June, where Wiener finished first in the 12-candidate field with 95,816 votes, or 40.7 percent, while Chan finished second with 69,899 votes, or 29.7 percent.
Wiener, 56, a state senator known for his pro-housing legislation, will take his seat when the new Congress convenes on January 3, 2027. The contest was the city's first competitive congressional race in almost 40 years.
