By John Ferrannini

The crowd was overflowing and raucous at what could only be described as a victory celebration for California State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), minutes after initial election returns showed him with an almost 15-point lead above San Francisco District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan in the race for the U.S. House of Representatives District 11 Seat.

Even though outgoing Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi endorsed Chan, Wiener put the former house speaker at the heart of his address.

“Today, San Franciscans voted for results because that’s what they’ve come to expect from their leaders who represent you in Congress, including the powerful lineage of this congressional seat,” he said. “In her very first remarks on the house floor in 1987, Nancy Pelosi announced that she had come to Congress to fight AIDS. It was at the height of that crisis, when so many others wanted to push LGBTQ people and people living with HIV under the carpet, out of sight, out of minds. But she proudly fought for us to be treated with basic human dignity. That is what she brought.”

Wiener will be the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected to Congress from San Francisco, and his victory party was held in his home neighborhood, the Castro. His lead has narrowed somewhat as votes continue to be counted, and according to preliminary returns he is currently leading 55.4%-44.5%.

Major outlets have not yet called the race, with only 51% of the votes counted; but according to NBC News midday Nov. 4, Chan would need almost 56% of remaining votes to win the race. As of late afternoon on Wednesday, Nov. 4, Chan conceded.

“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 stated in a press release. “I congratulate Scott Wiener on his election and wish him success in serving San Francisco.”

Preliminary precinct-by-precinct returns show that Wiener made major inroads in the so-called “progressive crescent” running from the Mission to the Haight districts. While Chan won many Mission precincts, Wiener won the Haight. Chan’s strongest precincts were on the West Side in both the Sunset and Richmond neighborhoods – she carried the Outer Sunset and Outer Richmond, but not the Inner Sunset or Inner Richmond.

Elsewhere, Chan won precincts in Bayview Hunters Point, Parkmerced, Chinatown and North Beach. Wiener dominated much of the rest of the map.

Wiener had a message for the current House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), who said he won’t run for House minority leader now that the body is expected to be controlled by Democrats.

“Three words,” Wiener said. “Bye, girl, bye.”

Wiener hailed the election results nationally.

“We’re taking our country back,” he said. “We’re gonna keep our democracy.
We’re gonna restore the rule of law in this country. We’re not gonna let them take our health care away. Ever. We’re not gonna let them terrorize our immigrant and trans neighbors anymore.”

The party didn’t happen without controversy, after reporters from Mission Local, Gazetteer SF and 48Hills were reportedly not allowed in to cover, the outlets stated. The Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon, and other outlets, attended the event with invitations. The campaign later reversed course and allowed the Mission Local and a Gazetteer SF reporter in. Mission Local reported Wiener’s campaign had called it “Connie Chan’s mouthpiece,” and felt the reporter’s past coverage of Wiener’s position on Israel and Palestine was unfair.

Wiener thanked Chan in his remarks, who he said ran a “spirited and strong and effective campaign.”

Chan will remain the Richmond District’s supervisor until she is termed-out in 2029.

“Our commitments remain clear: affordable housing and public transit; Medicare for All; strong unions and a dignified retirement; billionaires paying their fair share and powerful A.I. companies answering to the workers and communities whose lives they are changing,” Chan said in remarks at Gray Area in the Mission neighborhood. “We will keep standing up for our neighbors. Against (President Donald) Trump’s attacks on immigrant families. For abolishing ICE and creating pathways to citizenship. For LGBTQ+ freedom and the Equality Act. For San Francisco’s values of dignity, inclusion and solidarity. And we will keep demanding an end to the genocide in Gaza. I am proud we stood for a full arms embargo on the Israeli government.”

Notably, Chan did not concede on election night, saying that, “every voter deserves to have their ballot counted, and we owe them the patience to get this right.”

“To everyone waiting on these results: I know how much you have invested in this. We all want an answer tonight,” Chan said. “There is work ahead, and we will be ready. Our team will follow the count closely and keep you informed. If you hear from us about helping voters resolve ballot issues, please step up. Stay connected and take care of one another.”

This article will be updated as more results are released by the Department of Elections. As of 5:07 p.m. on Nov. 4, Chan has conceded the race.