California State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), a gay lawmaker long targeted by the right for his progressive record on LGBTQ rights and criminal justice reform, is reportedly planning to run for U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi‘s (D-Calif.) congressional seat in 2026, according to The San Francisco Standard.
At 85, Pelosi — a two-time Speaker of the U.S. House — has largely receded from the political spotlight, creating an opening for challengers in her heavily Democratic district. She has not yet said whether she plans to seek another term.
Wiener, who previously indicated he would not run until Pelosi stepped down, has been spurred by the rise of progressive candidate Saikat Chakrabarti — a tech millionaire and former chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). A formal campaign announcement is reportedly expected next week.
In recent months, Chakrabarti has drawn sizable crowds to campaign events across San Francisco, using them to criticize the Democratic Party’s current direction and appeal to disenchanted progressives and anti-establishment voters. He has said he’ll run regardless of Pelosi’s decision to retire or seek another term.
Chakrabarti’s campaign released a poll showing that 65% of registered voters in the district — including 51% of self-described Pelosi supporters — believe the area, which covers most of San Francisco, needs new congressional leadership. In a head-to-head matchup, Chakrabarti outperformed Pelosi after respondents reviewed both candidates’ biographies.
Sources close to Wiener say the poll reinforced the idea that Pelosi could be vulnerable to a primary challenge. By announcing now, Wiener would have time to build a credible campaign, secure endorsements, and raise funds for what’s expected to be an expensive race in one of the nation’s costliest media markets. His exploratory committee has already raised about $1 million.
“People are hungry for something different,” one source told The Standard of Wiener’s expected entry into the race. “There’s a sense that the time has come for other candidates to run.”
A separate EMC Research poll of 500 registered San Francisco voters found that 51% would prefer to elect someone other than Pelosi to Congress. Among potential challengers, Wiener — whose state senate district overlaps with Pelosi’s — earned the highest favorability rating at 61%. Another progressive, Supervisor Connie Chan, came in at 28%, while Chakrabarti and Pelosi’s daughter, Christine, each registered 21%.
Asked about his plans, Wiener told The San Francisco Standard in a text message, “I’ve been preparing and raising money for whenever the race starts.”
Pelosi, meanwhile, has remained quiet about her political future. Her spokesperson, Ian Krager, said she’s focused on building support for Proposition 50, a ballot measure backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom that would help Democrats redraw five congressional seats in their favor — a counterweight to Texas’s mid-decade redistricting effort benefiting Republicans.
“Speaker Pelosi is fully focused on her mission to win the ‘Yes on 50′ special election in California on the path to taking back the House for the Democrats,” Krager wrote in a statement. “She urges all Californians to join in that mission.”
Congressional lawmakers have approved a measure that would bar Medicaid -- the federal health insurance program for low-income Americans -- from covering gender-affirming care, including hormonal and surgical interventions, for minors.
The "Do No Harm in Medicaid Act," sponsored by U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), is the third in a series of Republican-backed efforts to block people under 18 from accessing medical treatments that assist in a gender transition.
The measure passed by a 215-201 vote, with four Democrats -- Reps. Henry Cuellar (Texas), Vicente Gonzalez (Texas), Don Davis (N.C.) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.) -- joining Republicans in support of the ban.
In a surprise appearance on Sunday, Nicki Minaj addressed Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2025, an annual conference aimed at younger MAGA activists, where she reaffirmed her recent anti-transgender views.
The rapper built her career with the help of a deeply devoted fanbase known as “Barbz,” many of whom are gay men. At the event, the “Super Bass” singer repeated the phrase “Boys, be boys” while seated on stage beside conservative lightning-rod Erika Kirk.
She continued her attacks on California Governor Gavin Newsom at the December 21 event, while offering effusive praise for the president and vice president.
During the recent federal shutdown, the Trump administration changed the name on Rachel Levine's portrait at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, replacing her legal name with her pre-transition one.
Levine made history in 2021 as the first out transgender person confirmed by the U.S. Senate for a sub-cabinet role, serving nearly four years as Assistant Secretary of Health in the Biden administration and later becoming a four-star admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
Levine’s portrait hangs on the seventh floor of the Humphrey Building in Washington, D.C., alongside those of others who have led the U.S. Public Health Service. She has offered little commentary on the deadnaming, telling NPR it was an honor to serve as Assistant Secretary of Health. "I'm not going to comment on this type of petty action," she said.
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