Wiener challenges Chan to 15 public debates across SF in race for Congress seat

STATE SEN. SCOTT WIENER challenged San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan on Wednesday to a series of 15 debates ahead of the November general election for California’s 11th Congressional District.  

With Wiener and Chan running to replace House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi in Congress, Wiener, D-San Francisco, proposed having a debate in each of the 10 city districts and five standalone debates on a single policy area, a press release from his campaign said.  

“San Franciscans deserve a real, sustained conversation about who can best represent our city in Washington,” Wiener said in a release. “I’m calling on Supervisor Chan to join us not just for one debate, but for a full series, both citywide and issue by issue, so voters in every part of San Francisco have a chance to hear from us.”

In the release, Wiener said these debates would center on the most important issues facing San Francisco and the country, while allowing voters to directly hear from both candidates. The five proposed standalone debates would center on foreign policy, housing and affordability, healthcare, domestic policy and technology and environment.  

‘Not interested’

In response to Wiener’s 15-debate proposal, Chan’s campaign spokesperson Julie Edwards said Chan hopes to take a different route in engaging voters.  

“We all know Scott Wiener loves to hear himself talk but Connie Chan believes it’s important for a representative to listen,” Edwards said in an email. “That’s why she’s listening to and welcoming community and news organizations that have requested to host forums, and we will work with those groups to ensure we participate in events that reflect the diversity of this district. We are not interested in satisfying Scott Wiener’s desire to be the center of attention.”  

According to Wiener’s campaign release, he said he wants to bring the conversation directly to voters, “rather than confining the race to a handful of citywide forums.” He also hopes to partner with media outlets, community organizations, neighborhood groups and Chan’s campaign to host the 15 debates well ahead of the November election, the release said.  

According to Joe Arellano, Wiener’s campaign spokesman, he said the recent governor and Congress primary elections featured many debates to engage the public and see candidates in action. 

“We constantly hear from voters who want to know where each candidate stands on the issues. San Franciscans deserve to hear directly from their candidates in settings accessible to them, not just the political insiders,” Arellano said in an email. “In the primary for Congress, the candidates participated in more than a dozen forums and debates across the city. But in many cases, the public was unaware of them and didn’t attend. We want to change that.”