State Sen. Scott Wiener on Tuesday night looked and sounded like a man who’s ready for Congress. And if he goes on to win the general election in November, he does not plan to spend his time in the House sitting quiet.

“I’m polite, but I’m not quiet,” Wiener told a crowd of roughly 300 supporters after taking a commanding lead in the polls over Supervisor Connie Chan and tech centimillionaire Saikat Chakrabarti in the primary contest to succeed Rep. Nancy Pelosi as San Francisco’s representative. “I will not wait my turn.”

“The people of San Francisco sent a very clear message. And the message has been received,” Wiener said. “San Franciscans are ready for bold, forward-looking leadership. For real results, not just words. And a new generation of leaders, a new generation ready to take on the hardest issues facing our country.”

Continuing the four-decade legacy of the liberal lioness Pelosi, Wiener vowed to take on the Trump administration’s “disaster of a regime” that has “commandeered this country, that is tearing down our democracy and the rule of law, that is getting us into disastrous wars.” 

But he also said he refused to “go back to the pre-Trump status quo” and pledged to push the party in a more daring direction on issues like healthcare and transgender rights and to take a stronger stance on the “unforgivable” immigration policies being pushed by the White House.

“We need to have our immigrant neighbors’ backs,” he said. “And the same goes for our LGBTQ community, particularly our trans community. Because in San Francisco, how we roll is we have people’s backs. Even when it’s unpopular.

“We need to go to the mat for trans people,” he added. “We are not going to let them eliminate trans people.”

Wiener noted that his early primary success does not guarantee victory in the general. He acknowledged that he is up against “institutional” challenges. Supervisor Connie Chan, who in early results appeared headed to a head-to-head with Wiener in November, was endorsed by Pelosi, a San Francisco icon with wealthy donors and powerful political players on speed dial.

“When I first ran for supervisor, and parallel to today, I had a whole bunch of institutional stuff against me. And we have that again today,” Wiener said. “And we did the work, and we made the case and won, and we’re going to win this race as well.”

Wiener said he is expecting a competitive race in November, likely against Chan, who had virtually doubled Chakrabarti’s votes with 29% of precincts reporting Tuesday night.

“She and I are very different,” he said of Chan. “I am known for what I have done. She is known for what’s she’s opposed. Whether it’s transit or housing or car-free JFK or whatever the case may be. And San Franciscans want a forward-looking vision.”

He thanked his competitors for participating in the Democratic process and what was a “spirited primary.”

“But it’s San Francisco, so we would not have it any other way,” he said.