Scott Wiener: Not Easy to Be 'Progressive Jew' Candidate, Jewish Candidates 'Held to a Different Standard'

On Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Inside Politics,” Democratic U.S. House candidate and California State Sen. Scott Wiener said that “2026 is not, shall we say, an easy year to be a progressive Jew running for Congress. And we have seen Jewish candidates, Jewish elected officials, be targeted here in San Francisco and around the country and held to a different standard than non-Jewish candidates with similar positions.”

Wiener said that “what happened to me, the harassment and the assault at the Trans March — or before the Trans March, does not reflect the vast majority of the people who attended that march.”

He added that the incident “reflects a very fringe perspective, in terms of engaging in physical harassment of people. But we also need to be clear that San Franciscans, like me, are horrified by what Israel has done in destroying Gaza and killing so many people and its actions in the West Bank to push Palestinians out of their homes, out of their communities. I believe that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. But, regardless of what word someone chooses to use, they can disagree with me, it is horrific, and it has to stop. There are 7 million Jews and 7 million Palestinians living in Israel, West Bank, Gaza. No one’s going anywhere, and we need peace. And the U.S. needs to be a force for peace, and we should not be funding destruction, which is why I do not support funding the Israeli military.”

Host Dana Bash then said, “Right, which, again, is something that everybody who you’re appealing to, and, presumably, the people who harassed you also support. And, again, as I was saying, it has been several months, and that’s why I was just kind of wondering if, after some time, you’ve had some other thoughts about what their real goal was.”

Wiener responded, “Well, what I will say is 2026 is not, shall we say, an easy year to be a progressive Jew running for Congress. And we have seen Jewish candidates, Jewish elected officials, be targeted here in San Francisco and around the country and held to a different standard than non-Jewish candidates with similar positions. And so, it is an issue. Jewish candidates, Jewish elected officials, not just me, others as well, have been getting targeted for several years now, and that needs to stop. I have no problem being held accountable for anything I do or say or propose or don’t do or say. That’s democracy, and I have hard conversations with my constituents all the time. But when it rises to the level of straight-up harassment and intimidation and assault, that crosses a line, and particularly when you’re only targeting certain elected officials and candidates, specifically Jewish elected officials and candidates.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett