“At the debate, Scott Wiener refused to call Israel’s indiscriminate killing of women and children in Gaza a genocide,” Julie Edwards, a spokesperson for Chan’s campaign, said in an email. “People getting killed didn’t move him, but boos at a forum did. This is about politics, not principle.”

Chakrabarti, who previously served as chief of staff for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and worked on Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign, said the issue is about “moral clarity.”

“Genocide shouldn’t be something you say yes or no to based on the reporter you are talking to or how your poll numbers look,” he posted on X after Wiener’s statement on Sunday. “Thousands of real people have died and continue to die.”

The three candidates in last week’s debate shared similar positions on many issues. They all support Medicare for All, believe San Francisco needs more housing, and want stronger protections for immigrants and LGBTQ people.

But the foreign policy question about Israel and Gaza marked a clear contrast between the candidates and painted Wiener as an outlier.

“He had to take steps on this, otherwise it was going to be an issue that would haunt him,” said Democratic political consultant Jim Ross, who has worked on several San Francisco campaigns. He added that the senator’s response may not draw many new voters toward Wiener, but it could “inoculate” against a potential campaign crisis. “I think it is an issue that probably will stick around, but with less impact, for the next eight months, 10 months.”

Candidates running for California’s 11th Congressional District, (from left) Saikat Chakrabarti, state Sen. Scott Wiener and San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan, take part in a forum at UC Law San Francisco on Jan. 7, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

Wiener’s decision to go further with his language on Israel has sparked criticism from Jewish groups.

“The diminishment and weaponization of the term ‘genocide’ in this context has been deeply painful for our community, given our own historical experiences with the Holocaust,” reads a joint statement from five Jewish groups, including the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Relations Council. “All too often, those harboring antisemitic views have used the war to justify their hatred of our community… Framing this conflict in reductionist and inflammatory terms fuels further hostility toward our community.”

The groups said their statement was not intended to support or oppose any candidate.

Pro-Palestinian advocacy group Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) Action said Wiener’s statement marks a positive step.