Welcome back to our โMeet the Candidatesโ series, where the congressional candidates respond to a question in 100 words or less. Answers will be published every Monday.
CA-11, the congressional district that Connie Chan and Scott Wiener are running to represent, includes most of San Francisco. Some southern neighborhoods (the Excelsior, Portola, Visitacion Valley and Ingleside) are a part of a neighboring district.
Democrats are polling abysmally: only 21 percent of voters approve of the way Congressional Democrats are handing their job, according to a national poll by Quinnipiac released Sept. 10.
Amidst such broad dissatisfaction with the party, several Democratic House candidates are refusing to promise that they will vote for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who has been the leader of the House Democratic Caucus since 2023, for Speaker of the House. Many of those candidates are from the partyโs progressive wing and have expressed frustration with Jeffriesโ stance on Israel as well as his lack of support for progressive priorities like Medicare for All.ย
This week’s question: Would you support Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker of the House? Has Democratic leadership done a good job during Trump’s second term?
Mission Local color codes the answers to yes/no questions. A green background means the candidate answered yes, a red background means no, and a yellow background means that the candidate dodged the question.
Connie Chan
- Job: San Francisco District 1 Supervisor
- Age: 47
- Residency: Homeowner, has lived in San Francisco since she was 13
- Transportation: Driving, public transit, and walking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis
- Languages: English, Cantonese, Mandarin
Democratic leaders have taken steps to oppose Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, but they have not consistently met this moment with the urgency to deliver solutions for working people. I want to be part of a Democratic Party that can fight boldly and strategically against Trumpโs attacks on our democracy, immigrants and economic security.
Any candidate for Speaker, including Hakeem Jeffries, will have to earn my vote by presenting a clear strategy to confront Trump, take on corporate power and deliver meaningful results for working families in San Francisco and across the nation.
Endorsed by: Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, Congressman Ro Khanna, California Federation of Labor Unions, SEIU California, San Francisco Labor Council, Working Families Party, San Francisco Tenant’s Union … read more here.
Scott Wiener
- Job: San Francisco’s State Senator
- Age: 56
- Residency: Homeowner, moved to San Francisco in 1997
- Transportation: Public transit and walking
- Education: Bachelorโs degree from Duke, law degree from Harvard
- Languages: English, Spanish
While House Democrats have been quite unified in opposing Trumpโs extremist agenda, Democrats have also made some real missteps.
Ending last fallโs government shutdown without concrete steps to prevent healthcare cuts was a mistake, and Senate leadership should have done more to keep the caucus aligned.
Democrats are facing a credibility crisis and need to do things differently. We must focus like a laser on using the power we have.
I look forward to electing Hakeem Jeffries Speaker and pushing hard to ensure House leadership aggressively opposes Trump, passes a bold affordability agenda, and reins in AI corporations.
See Wienerโs full answer here.
Endorsed by: The California Democratic Party, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Sierra Club, San Francisco YIMBY, Grow SF, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, North Coast States Carpenters Union, Dolores Huerta … read more here.
Candidates are ordered alphabetically and rotated each week. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at io@missionlocal.com or yujie@missionlocal.com.
Election Day is on Nov. 3, 2026. You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.
