California State Sen. Scott Wiener is projected to advance in the race to replace longtime Rep Nancy Pelosi, overcoming a challenge from Pelosi-backed candidate Connie Chan in San Francisco’s closely watched congressional primary.

Decision Desk HQ called California’s 11th Congressional District primary for Wiener late Tuesday evening. Early returns showed Wiener leading the field with more than 43 percent of the vote. Chan, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and progressive activist Saikat Chakrabarti, former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, trailed behind as they competed for the second spot in the November general election.

Wiener declared victory before supporters gathered near San Francisco’s Castro District. “The people of San Francisco sent a very clear message … San Franciscans are ready for bold, forward-looking leadership, for real results,” Wiener said at an election night party near the Castro neighborhood.

The race attracted national attention following Pelosi’s retirement announcement after decades representing San Francisco in Congress. While Wiener had long been viewed as a potential successor to the former House speaker, Pelosi declined to endorse him. Instead, she threw her support behind Chan, creating a notable split between one of the Democratic Party’s most influential figures and one of California’s highest-profile state lawmakers. Pelosi’s endorsement was not enough to propel Chan to the top of the field.

Wiener has built a national profile as one of the state’s most controversial lawmakers. Among the measures he authored was legislation making California a sanctuary state for minors seeking gender-altering medical treatments. The law limits cooperation with out-of-state investigations and warrants connected to procedures that are legal in California. Wiener described the measure at the time as making California a “state of refuge for trans kids and their families.”

He also co-authored legislation that would have required judges in child custody disputes to consider whether a parent affirmed a child’s gender identity. That bill was later vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Other proposals associated with Wiener included legislation allowing trans-identified male inmates to request placement in women’s prisons, opposed policies requiring schools to notify parents when a child adopts a different gender identity at school, proposed drag queen classes as part of grade school education, and authored a bill that would provide exemptions from the sex offender registry.

Wiener has also faced scrutiny over his support for San Francisco’s annual Folsom Street Fair, a controversial public fetish festival known for sexually explicit displays and activities.

Under California’s top-two primary system, the two highest vote-getters advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation. With Wiener projected to move forward, attention now turns to which candidate will join him on the November ballot as San Francisco voters choose Pelosi’s successor. Chan was holding in second place with 28.1 percent when Weiner was projected to be the winner.