Co-presented by KQED and the San Francisco Chronicle, the Debate Between the Two Candidates to Succeed Nancy Pelosi Will Present Their Respective Visions for Voters
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – KQED and the San Francisco Chronicle announce that the Bay Area media partners will be co-presenting a debate for California’s District 11 Congressional seat between San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan and California State Senator Scott Wiener.
Chan and Wiener will meet live onstage at a critical juncture in this pivotal congressional race–just before ballots start arriving in voters’ mailboxes for the November midterm election. Democrats Chan and Wiener will present their visions for the future and how they would represent District 11 interests as Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi prepares to retire after 39 years in Congress.
Co-hosted by KQED and the San Francisco Chronicle, the October 1 debate will explore issues facing the city including, housing affordability, tech and the economy, immigration, foreign conflicts, and the role of San Francisco in national politics. The conversation will be moderated by KQED political reporters Marisa Lagos and Scott Shafer with San Francisco Chronicle senior political writer Joe Garofoli, and will take place at KQED’s event space, The Commons.
Viewers can register for the livestream the debate and buy tickets at kqed.org/live. Additionally, the debate will be rebroadcast on KQED Public Television 9 on October 9 at 8pm and on KQED Public Radio on October 2 at 8pm.
Voters will learn where the candidates stand on the key topics at the center of this race and what would distinguish their respective approaches to leadership as San Francisco’s voice in Washington D.C.
“This is a critical race for San Franciscans,” adds Lagos. “Technology, affordability, immigration are all top of mind for voters. We’ll try to get at how these two candidates differ, and how they would advocate in D.C. in an increasingly polarized Congress.”
“Nancy Pelosi has been a fixture in Congress and San Francisco politics for nearly 40 years,” said Shafer. “We’ll flesh out how these candidates describe their own legislative priorities and leadership styles in contrast to hers.”
Garofoli adds, “Pelosi has held this seat since 1987 and didn’t debate anyone after first getting elected. So this is a rare opportunity to see House candidates battling to represent San Francisco go toe-to-toe.”
Event Details
Election 2026: San Francisco Congressional Debate
Co-presented by KQED Live and The San Francisco Chronicle
Thursday, October 1 | 7:30pm
The Commons at KQED
Tickets: $18; limited free tickets for KQED & SF Chronicle Members and students w/ID
About the Moderators
Joe Garofoli is the San Francisco Chronicle’s senior political writer, covering national and state politics. He has worked at the Chronicle since 2000 and in Bay Area journalism since 1992, when he left the Milwaukee Journal. He was the host of It’s All Political, the Chronicle’s political podcast. He has won numerous awards, including the Polk Award, a Webby Award for Best Documentary Podcast, and in addition to politics, has covered everything from fashion to the Jeffrey Dahmer serial killings to two Olympic Games.
Marisa Lagos is a correspondent for KQED’s Politics and Government Desk and co-hosts Political Breakdown. Lagos conducts reporting, analysis and investigations into state, local and national politics for KQED radio, TV and online. Previously, she worked for nine years at the San Francisco Chronicle covering San Francisco City Hall and state politics, and at the San Francisco Examiner and Los Angeles Times. She has won awards for her work investigating the 2017 wildfires and her ongoing coverage of criminal justice issues in California.
Scott Shafer came to KQED in 1998 to host the statewide The California Report. Prior to that, he had extended stints in politics and government. Using that inside experience, he is now Senior Editor for KQED’s Politics and Government Desk where he provides reporting, hosting and analysis as a senior political correspondent. Scott co-hosts the radio and podcast versions of Political Breakdown with Marisa Lagos, and he hosted The Political Mind of Jerry Brown, an eight-part series about the life and extraordinary political career of the former governor.
About KQED
KQED serves the people of Northern California with a public-supported alternative to commercial media. An NPR and PBS affiliate based in San Francisco, KQED is home to one of the most-listened-to public radio stations in the nation, one of the highest-rated public television services and an award-winning education program helping students and educators thrive in 21st-century classrooms. A trusted news source and leader and innovator in interactive technology, KQED takes people of all ages on journeys of exploration — exposing them to new people, places and ideas. kqed.org
About San Francisco Chronicle
The San Francisco Chronicle (www.sfchronicle.com) is the largest newspaper in Northern California and the second largest on the West Coast. Acquired by Hearst in 2000, the San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 by Charles and Michael de Young and has been awarded six Pulitzer Prizes for journalistic excellence.