Description
Nancy Pelosi is retiring after representing the city in Congress for nearly 40 years, and the hotly contested race has come down to two Democrats: state Sen. Scott Wiener and San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan.
As warnings of an artificial intelligence-driven doomsday loom, candidates looking to represent the home of the AI boom in Congress are pitching San Francisco voters on their plan to prevent disaster.
While both support regulating AI in some fashion, Chan and Wiener had diverging approaches when it came to the best way to move forward as the technology advances quickly.
In a congressional debate, Chan honed in on her background, sharing how she was born in Hong Kong before moving to Taiwan and later immigrating to San Francisco at age 13, growing up in Chinatown before building a career in public service. She also underscored that she is a working mom and has garnered wide support from unions.
Wiener, who is openly gay and previously served as a San Francisco supervisor, has backing from the state and local Democratic Party, as well as some well-heeled tech leaders.
He’s so far outraised his opponent, but Chan has built up her war chest with the help of Pelosi’s fundraising machine and support from Saikait Chakrabarti, a wealthy former tech engineer whom she defeated in the June primary.
Both candidates were given the opportunity to ask each other a question at the Oct. 1st debate, with Wiener honing in on Chan’s reputation for blocking housing, like a proposed 495-unit building at 469 Stevenson St., and that she voted against Mayor Daniel Lurie’s rezoning plan at a time when San Francisco is facing a housing crisis.
Wiener’s cultivated a reputation in Sacramento for passing legislation to spur more housing development. But Chan took swings at his support from tech- and real estate-aligned groups, implying that she is the candidate who will stand up to billionaires.
For more information about this election’s races, check out our detailed voter guide at kqed.org/voterguide
✍️: Sydney Johnson
📹: Anna Vignet
🎬: Darren Tu