A special election will be held early next year after Wiener enters Congress.
Congressman-elect Scott Wiener on Thursday endorsed Assemblyman Matt Haney to succeed him in the California Senate. The move came days after San Francisco voters elected Wiener to Congress.
Wiener holds the 11th Senate District seat. Haney, also a Democrat, represents the 17th Assembly District and cruised to reelection on Tuesday.
“Matt and I have worked together for over a decade,” Wiener said in a statement. He cited Haney’s work on building housing, holding powerful corporations accountable, and lowering costs for working families.
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“Matt is the champion San Francisco needs,” Wiener said.
Christine Pelosi, the daughter of retiring Rep. Nancy Pelosi, is running for the seat too. A longtime Democratic Party figure, Christine Pelosi has never held elected office.
A special election early next year will be scheduled to fill the remaining two years of Wiener’s term.
Haney said he is running to lower costs, increase housing, and make sure artificial intelligence and Big Tech “answer to the people, not the other way around.”
The Standard has reported on Haney’s use of campaign contributions to pay for tickets to sporting events and Broadway shows, which prompted an investigation by state officials.
More than 70 members of the Legislature, including Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Assemblywoman Catherine Stefani, have endorsed Haney.
Pelosi announced her state Senate candidacy in November 2025, days after her mother said she would not seek reelection.
A Haney-Pelosi contest would extend a rivalry that shaped this year’s congressional race. Nancy Pelosi turned icy toward Wiener because he announced his candidacy for her seat before she announced her retirement, sources told The Standard. She endorsed Supervisor Connie Chan.
The questions about Haney’s campaign spending began in June 2024. The Standard reported he had spent about $65,000 in campaign funds on 49ers tickets since early 2023, including two January 2024 playoff games his campaign described as fundraisers. Total spending on sporting events and shows reached about $75,000, including Giants and Warriors games. State rules bar using campaign money on such tickets unless attendance is directly related to a political, legislative, or governmental purpose.
The state Fair Political Practices Commission opened an investigation in July 2024 into whether Haney misused campaign funds in his 2022 and 2024 Assembly races. The Standard later reported that a ballot measure committee Haney formed raised about $119,000 but spent less than $19,000 on ads. Most of the rest went to consultants, travel, meals, and tickets, including Warriors and 49ers playoff games. Haney’s attorney has said his committees complied with campaign finance law.
A second FPPC probe examines whether Haney properly reported a $5,000 donation he directed to his holiday toy drive. As of August 2025, both investigations were open.
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