By Anjali Nayak
Following Anna Eshoo’s public announcement to not run for reelection, 11 candidates are seeking to win voters’ approval in the March 5 primary election, the first hurdle to representing the 16th District of the US House of Representatives—an area that stretches from Pacifica to Los Gatos and includes the Midpeninsula.
Unsurprisingly, the major frontrunners are all liberal leaning candidates interested in representing Silicon Valley in Congress. Sam Liccardo recently served as the San Jose mayor and is best known for helping engineer a fiscal turnaround in the city. He lifted the city from a pension crisis to a budget surplus. Furthermore, Evan Low is looking to make history as the Bay Area’s first openly LGBTQ member of Congress. When he was first elected mayor of Campbell in 2009, Low was the youngest Asian and openly gay mayor in America. Low has guided pro-LGBTQ legislation, and recently scored an endorsement from Rep. Ro Khanna. Lastly, Joe Simitian is a Santa Clara County supervisor and former state legislator who has been raising money to snatch the open seat since 2009. He has stockpiled 681,003 dollars in his campaign account. Simitian is the oldest of the frontrunners, as he is 70 years old.
In California’s open primary election, voters can cast their ballot for any candidate regardless of party affiliation. The top two in the primary will face off in November unless one candidate receives more than 50%.