Wiener’s Door-Knocking Drive Targets Pelosi’s San Francisco Seat
Scott Wiener’s campaign has built a large ground operation for the contest to replace Nancy Pelosi, planning to knock on more than 311,000 doors over the course of its year-long effort. The campaign also reports making 240,000 phone calls and sending 2.3 million text messages as Tuesday’s election approaches on November 3, 2026.
Wiener, a state senator, faces Supervisor Connie Chan, whom Pelosi has endorsed. Wiener has backing from the state Democratic Party and a fundraising advantage, while Chan has union support and has presented herself as a working mother and immigrant from Hong Kong. The candidates are competing for Chinese-speaking voters and liberal-leaning women, groups polling suggests could favor Chan.
Wiener’s operation includes 48 paid, full-time canvassers and hundreds of volunteers. It has visited 90% of the district’s roughly 345,000 households and identified nearly 50,000 people who say they intend to vote for him. The campaign says its Cantonese-language outreach has made about 22,000 voter contacts.
An outside super PAC, Families for an Affordable SF, has spent at least $2.3 million supporting Wiener. Chan’s campaign has alleged illegal coordination, while a 2024 Federal Election Commission advisory opinion permits campaigns and political action committees to coordinate door-to-door voter outreach.
The candidates also differ on policy. Chan wants stricter AI oversight, including a pause on new data centers until stronger safeguards are in place; Wiener supports safety rules that balance oversight with innovation. On housing, Wiener favors incentives to build, while Chan stresses affordability and keeping residents housed. Both support moving toward Medicare for All, but disagree on a proposed one-time tax on California billionaires.
Wiener’s Campaign Flexes a Massive Ground Operation as Pelosi Race Tightens
With a field operation projected to knock on more than 311,000 doors, Scott Wiener’s campaign is pressing its advantage across San Francisco rather than treating the race to succeed Nancy Pelosi as settled. It says the effort has reached 90% of the district’s roughly 345,000 households, alongside 240,000 calls and 2.3 million texts.
Wiener’s operation has 48 paid, full-time canvassers and hundreds of volunteers. The campaign says it has identified nearly 50,000 voters who plan to support him and made about 22,000 contacts through Cantonese-language outreach. The scale matters in a close contest, particularly among Chinese-speaking voters and liberal-leaning women, who could break for Connie Chan.
Chan, Pelosi’s choice, has union backing and emphasizes affordability, tenant protections and her experience as a working mother and immigrant from Hong Kong. Wiener has the state Democratic Party’s support and a record of pushing for more housing and LGBTQ+ protections. His campaign says its field effort is designed to make its case neighborhood by neighborhood, including in Chan’s district.
The outside super PAC backing Wiener has spent at least $2.3 million. Chan’s campaign alleges illegal coordination, while a 2024 Federal Election Commission advisory opinion says candidates and political action committees may coordinate door-to-door voter outreach.
The candidates’ policy divide is real: Chan wants stricter AI controls and a temporary halt to new data centers until stronger safeguards exist; Wiener favors rules that also preserve innovation. On housing, he stresses construction, while she emphasizes affordability and preventing displacement. Their contest is also a choice over a proposed billionaire wealth tax, which Chan supports and Wiener opposes as a funding source for ongoing health care.
Wiener’s Outside-Backed Ground Game Raises Questions in Pelosi Successor Race
Scott Wiener’s campaign is deploying a vast canvassing operation to lock down San Francisco’s race for Nancy Pelosi’s seat, with an outside super PAC helping fund the effort. The campaign projects more than 311,000 door knocks and reports that the PAC, Families for an Affordable SF, has spent at least $2.3 million backing Wiener.
Chan’s campaign has alleged that Wiener and the PAC coordinated unlawfully. A 2024 Federal Election Commission advisory opinion permits campaigns and political action committees to coordinate door-to-door voter outreach, but the outside spending remains a central feature of the contest. The PAC’s top contributor is a group of three carpenters’ union affiliates, whose combined donations approach $1.5 million.
Wiener’s team says it has visited 90% of the district’s roughly 345,000 households, with 48 paid, full-time canvassers and hundreds of volunteers. It also reports 240,000 calls, 2.3 million texts and about 22,000 contacts with Cantonese-speaking voters. Chan, backed by Pelosi and a host of unions, has said she cannot match the scale of paid canvassing.
The candidates offer sharply different approaches to emerging technology and housing. Chan calls for stricter AI oversight, including a pause on new data centers until stronger safeguards are established. Wiener argues for safety rules that balance regulation with innovation. He wants federal incentives to spur housing construction; Chan stresses affordability, rental assistance and keeping current residents in the city.
The race also tests competing Democratic priorities on taxes and health care. Both favor a gradual shift toward Medicare for All, but Chan supports a proposed 5% tax levied once on California billionaires’ wealth, while Wiener argues a one-time levy should not finance continuing health care costs.
Reported by The San Francisco Standard, New York Post, ABC7 San Francisco, CBS San Francisco, SFist, KTVU FOX 2.
