Sam Liccardo, Evan Low in contentious race to represent California 16th Congressional District
In what has become one of California's most contentious races, former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and South Bay Assemblyman Evan Low are facing off to succeed retiring longtime Rep. Anna Eshoo in the 16th Congressional District.
Liccardo and Low are competing to represent the western part of Santa Clara County, along with parts of coastal San Mateo County and the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Liccardo led the Bay Area's most populous city from 2015 to 2023, while Low has served in the Assembly since 2014 and previously served as the mayor of Campbell.
The match-up between the two Democrats is the culmination of a lengthy campaign that began with 11 candidates and a March primary that took weeks to resolve.
Liccardo secured first place after all votes were counted while Low was tied for second place with Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian.
Under California's primary system, in which the top two vote-getters move on to the general election, both Low and Simitian were in place to advance because of the tie between the two, setting up what would have been an unprecedented three-way race.
But a recount was requested by two voters, one of whom worked on Liccardo's mayoral campaign. Following the recount, which was not resolved until early May, Low secured second place by a margin of five votes.
The race has been competitive, with negative ads for both candidates filling the airwaves.
In the final days of the campaign, Gov. Gavin Newsom endorsed Low, who has also been endorsed by the California Democratic Party and numerous state and local officials.
Meanwhile, Liccardo has received endorsements from the editorial boards of the San Jose Mercury News and the San Francisco Chronicle, and has his own list of state and local officials supporting him.
Eshoo, who has represented the South Bay and Peninsula in Congress for more than three decades, is retiring at the end of her term. First elected to Congress in 1992 in the historic "Year of the Woman," Eshoo was the first woman and the first Democrat to represent her Silicon Valley district. Along with her nearly 32 years in Washington, she additionally spent 10 years on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors.
District 16 includes the western and central portions of San Jose, Campbell, Cupertino, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Saratoga. On the Peninsula, the district covers coastal communities, including Half Moon Bay and Pacifica, along with Atherton, Menlo Park and Woodside.