As state Senator Scott Wiener continues to try to thread the needle of being a moderate Democrat who has historically supported Israel but now kind of needs the pro-Palestinian vote, he is stepping down from a role he's held for five years in the state's legislative Jewish Caucus.
Scott Wiener made headlines last week when he reversed his stance on calling Israel's military actions in Gaza a "genocide" — something he's declined to do for years, and something that his challengers were more than willing to do in the first candidate forum two weeks ago for the race for Nancy Pelosi's House seat.
Obviously sensing that this will be a political problem for him, Wiener posted a video to Xitter last Monday, trying to stanch the fallout from the news cycle, and reversing his long-held silence on the genocide question.
"For many Jews, associating the word 'genocide' with the Jewish state of Israel is deeply painful and frankly traumatic," Wiener said in his prepared statement. "But despite that pain and that trauma, we all have eyes, and we see the absolute devastation and catastrophic death toll in Gaza inflicted by the Israeli government. And we all have ears, and we hear the genocidal statements by certain senior members of the Israeli government. And to me, the Israeli government has tried to destroy Gaza, and to push Palestinians out, and that qualifies as genocide."
For years, I’ve condemned Netanyahu and his extremist government and the devastation they’ve inflicted on Gaza. It’s why I’ve been clear I won’t support U.S. funding for the destruction of Palestinian communities. I’ve stopped short of calling it genocide, but I can’t anymore. pic.twitter.com/71nIt6K527
— Senator Scott Wiener (@Scott_Wiener) January 11, 2026
Now, having angered some Jewish supporters, Wiener is stepping down from his leadership role in the California legislative Jewish Caucus. As KRON4 reports, in making the announcement Thursday, Wiener said he'd already suggested he should step down from the leadership position when he announced his candidacy for the US Congress, but he says he "was asked to stay to provide a continuity of leadership during a difficult time for the Jewish community."
"Now, my campaign is accelerating, and my recent statements on Israel and Gaza have led to significant controversy in the Jewish community," Wiener said Thursday. "The time to transition has arrived."
Wiener has been in the caucus leadership for five years, and he has served as a state senator since 2016.
He added that, since reversing his stance on the word "genocide," he has had "many in-depth conversations with members of the Jewish community with a range of perspectives."
"While many in the community strongly disagree with my view, I am grateful for their willingness to engage with me and hear my perspective, showing once again the deep respect for difference in our community," Wiener concluded.
In running for Pelosi's seat this November, and in a primary this June, Wiener is up against Supervisor Connie Chan, who will likely bring with her significant support from the city's large bloc of Asian voters, and onetime AOC campaign manager Saikat Chakrabarti, who will likely siphon off a number of progressive votes.
Top image: Photo via Getty Images
