This midterm election was perhaps the best for the Democratic Party since Watergate. The net gain for the Democratic Party will be somewhere between 40-45 seats in the House, seven to nine in the Senate, numerous state legislative seats, several governors, including in states like Texas, Georgia and possibly even Kansas, and a shift to the Democratic Party among almost every segment of the electorate. The victory was massive, included both progressive and more center-left candidates, and exceeded all but the most optimistic expectations.

In San Francisco, something different occurred. The city, once seen as progressive beacon, consolidated its position as a conservative outlier. Mayor Daniel Lurie, his good social media and nebbishy demeanor notwithstanding, is already one of the most conservative big city mayors. In this election he succeeded in pushing through a handful of ballot measures meant to consolidate his power. Similarly, in all but one race for the Board of Supervisors the more conservative candidate won.

In the race for Congress, Scott Wiener, the more conservative candidate, won handily. Wiener is not a conservative in the context of national politics, but he can hardly be considered a progressive by the standards of 2026. During the campaign most of the media promised Wiener, or his progressive opponent Connie Chan, would be among the most progressive members of Congress if they were elected. It is not clear whether this was done out of laziness or malice, but it is simply not true.

Wiener’s supporters can plausibly say that he will be among the smartest, hardest working or even tallest new members of Congress. However, claiming Wiener will be among the most progressive members of Congress as he joins a class of first year members that includes Brad Lander, Claire Valdez, Darializa Avila Chevalier, Melat Kiros, Manny Rutinel, William Lawrence and others is an absurd assertion. It is like stating the Giants had the best bullpen in baseball last year because you are a Giants fan and want it to be true.

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