When asked, “Is Israel committing genocide in Gaza?” Senator Scott Weiner (D) declined to say. The polarizing representative joined Supervisor Connie Chan and candidate Saikat Chakrabarti on January 7, 2026 at the SF Congressional Candidate Forum. All three are running for congress this year, seeking to replace outgoing institution Nancy Pelosi. Ms. Chan and Mr. Chakrabarti did answer the question posed by an audience member during the lightning-round questionnaire. An unmistakable “Yes,” indicated by their double-sided signs held high. Rep. Weiner, meanwhile, sat twiddling his sign, its red “No” and green “Yes” sides flashing like an ambiguous distress signal.
Indecision, as the senator soon found out, is the worst decision.
“Answer the question, Scott.”
Jeers erupted from the audience as it became painfully clear that the District 11 representative would not cooperate. “C’mon, Scott,” somebody shouted amid a hail of boo’s and mixed chatter. Others jumped to their feet to record the faux-pas on their phones. Joe Eskenazi from Mission Local and Cynthia Laird from the Bay Area Reporter co-moderated the forum. The crowd refused to let them move on. “Answer the question, Scott,” one man demanded.
Did Sen. Weiner take campaign pointers from Kamala Harris? Because dismissing genocide is a surefire way to sabotage your odds. It defies every compartment you cram it into, betraying your ethics across the board. No one can trust your motives once they discover what you will and will not stand for. This congress hopeful is not the progressive he says he is. It’s why he stands out at some of the gay and queer events I attend, not for his height or even his moral shortcomings. When I look at Scott Weiner, I don’t just see a euphemism for flaccid, moderate policy. I see a fish out of water, struggling to breathe.
Scott Wiener represents California Senate District 11 (SD-11) in the State Senate, a district that includes all of San Francisco and portions of San Mateo County—Broadmoor, Colma, Daly City, and parts of South San Francisco. The SF Congressional Candidate Forum was put together by the SF Working Families Party, the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, and the Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club for a congressional candidate forum. The forum was held at UC Law SF near Civic Center on Wednesday the 7th, 6–8 PM. Accounts (1, 2, 3) describe the debate as “civil,” until the question of Israel’s ongoing genocide came up.
“Moving along, please.”
Moderator Joe Eskenazi tried to recover control of the floor, but the audience would not have it. Scott Wiener should have answered. A “No” would at least dignify the question with attention it deserves. His indecision only invited microscopic scrutiny as crowd members scanned his every move for the slightest indication of a personal stance. Mr. Chakrabarti and Ms. Chan meanwhile answered “Yes” immediately, the former raising his sign a hair faster. But once Ms. Chan noticed Mr. Wiener’s limp, dangling paddle, she seemed to shrink behind hers while Mr. Chakrabarti kept his at eye-level. Chakrabarti shook his head as the California District 11 representative appeared to shoot his campaign in the foot.
“Shame on you,” shouted multiple audience members. “Answer the question,” too.
Again the moderators tried to push the debate onward. Next in the queue: should San Francisco have municipal power, even if it requires using eminent domain?
Sen. Wiener unequivocally answered “Yes,” demonstrating his hearing as well as comprehension of the English language were intact. In other, less bitchy words, the one explanation left is that it absolutely was his choice to remain silent. “Coward,” voiced one man. More booing ensued.
The lightning round ended, and for a few tense moments, it looked like the moderators restored order. When the candidates began taking questions from the crowd however, more backlash for Scott Wiener lay ahead. “Free Palestine,” a woman shouted when the senator stood up to speak. Others echoed the sentiment. Another person yelled out what might have been “F*ck you, Scott.” The closed captions for the YouTube video, albeit evidently edited by a human given its perfect grammar, do not specify. Another man repeated the phrase more clearly. “Please, folks,” said an exasperated moderator, but they continued to vent their discontent. ‘Order,’ as it turned out, was just anger deferred—until it was Scott Wiener’s turn to speak.
The senator defended his record of more successes than failures without clarifying which were which. Industries he alleged to have battled include tech, cable and telecoms, health insurance, and the oil industry. “I haven’t always won,” he admitted, “but I’ve often won.” The senator then pledged his commitment to San Francisco before an audience he had primed to disbelieve him.
“People can agree or disagree with me, but I fight like a dog every day for this community. And don’t just yell,” he said defensively as a member of the crowd walked out on him. “I get things done.”
With that he ended his speech, seemingly avoiding further controversy. Senator Wiener tolerated criticism like one tolerates Christian rock in a taxicab. This will be over soon, his face read. But in fact, this may be just the beginning.
