After serving more than three decades in Congress, U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo announced Tuesday that she won’t seek re-election, opening the door for local Democrats in what is expected to be a hotly contested and expensive race to be the next representative for the Silicon Valley.
Eshoo’s looming retirement makes her the second longtime Bay Area congresswoman to step down from the U.S. House in the coming year. U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, an Oakland Democrat, revealed in February that she would not seek re-election in order to run for former Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat.
The two open congressional seats could dramatically shift politics in the Bay Area, a region that’s become more of a stronghold for incumbents than any other metropolitan area in the country. Five of the 12 current Bay Area representatives have served for more than two decades in Washington, D.C., compared to the average of 12 years for House members in Los Angeles, New York, Houston and Seattle, a recent Bay Area News Group analysis found.
In a video posted on social media, Eshoo, who turns 81 next month, said she made the announcement with a “heart filled with unending gratitude” to her constituents in California’s 16th Congressional District, which stretches from Pacifica in the north to San Jose, Los Gatos and Pescadero to the south.
The Palo Alto lawmaker started her political career on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in 1982 and served for a decade before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992.
“As the first woman and the first Democrat to ever represent our district, I’m very proud of the body of bipartisan work I’ve been able to achieve on your behalf in Congress,” Eshoo said. “Sixty-six of my bills have been signed into law by five presidents, including the preservation of lands here at home, landmark advancements in women’s health, the creation of two federal agencies to promote research and development — one to advance biotechnology and one to pursue cures to the deadliest disease we have yet to concur.”
Eshoo currently serves as a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and as a member of the Health Subcommittee where she helped write part of the Affordable Care Act.
In her retirement message, Eshoo said that “over all the years my legislation and my votes have reflected the values of my constituents, strengthen our democracy, protect our national security, perfect our union by making it fairer for all and build an economy that lifts up everyone.”
In the hours after Eshoo’s announcement, names for her replacement quickly began circulating among local politicos, including former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian and California state Assemblymember Evan Low.
A source close to Low, a Cupertino Democrat, said he plans on jumping into the race. Low, who in 2010 was the youngest openly gay mayor in the country for the city of Campbell at age 26, has already stepped foot on the national political stage. In 2020, Low became part of the “Yang Gang,” serving as a national co-chair for businessman Andrew Yang’s presidential bid.
“Any person who follows in her footsteps must commit themselves completely to upholding her awesome legacy,” Low said in a statement. “Today, I’m going to celebrate one of our valley’s greatest public servants and a personal mentor to me. There are a lot of people in the community I need to talk to before I make a formal decision.”
Simitian, who represents the northernmost part of the county and sections of the West Valley, has long considered a congressional run. His campaign committee for the District 16 seat, Friends of Simitian, has been open since 2009. In the last five years, Simitian has raked more than a quarter of a million dollars into his war chest. The supervisor terms out next year.
When asked on Tuesday whether he’s going to run, Simitian said “I think I’ve made my plans pretty clear.” He will have a formal announcement next week.
“She’s represented our area with real distinction and has represented us for three decades now in the House,” he said of Eshoo. “Her service is very much rooted in her experience she’s had as a county supervisor.”
Liccardo also also been eyeing a bid for Congress — either for Eshoo’s seat or that of Rep. Zoe Lofgren’s (D-San Jose) seat, who has said she doesn’t plan to retire anytime soon. Earlier this year, Lofgren told this news organization that the former mayor reached out to her to give her notice, but that she plans on running for re-election, adding, “I don’t run to lose.”
A former criminal prosecutor who has used his time out of elected office to lecture at Stanford Law School, Liccardo declined to comment on his plans, saying he’d “prefer that we take this time to honor Congresswoman Eshoo for her exceptional service and leadership.”
“There will be plenty of time to talk about my next steps after I consult with my wife and family, but regardless of whether I run, I want to ensure that Silicon Valley has a champion in Washington ready to tackle our most critical issues, like homelessness, crime, housing affordability, and innovation,” he said.
Former Saratoga City Councilmember Rishi Kumar, who has unsuccessfully challenged Eshoo in the last several elections, had previously locked in his intention to run.
Larry Gerston, a professor emeritus of political science at San Jose State University, said it will have to be a “quick candidacy” for whoever runs, since the March primary is only months away.
“You got to be ready to jump,” he said.
Many of the floated candidates would also have to give up the security of re-election in their current seats going into 2024, he added. The longtime local political analyst said Simitian could be well-poised for the seat given the location of his current supervisorial district, but someone like state Sen. Josh Becker, a San Mateo Democrat, whose district crosses both counties, may also have an edge.
Sally Lieber, vice chair of the California State Board of Equalization, who served on the Mountain View City Council and in the state assembly, is another politician Gerston thinks might run, although Lieber has already announced her intentions to run for Simitian’s Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors seat.
“This district election reminds me of the Wild West,” Gerston said. “It’s full of uncertainties, yet big prizes for the candidates who get into the November run-off.”
Eshoo was last re-elected in 2022 and her term ends January 2025. Her district encompasses parts of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties including Atherton, Menlo Park, Pacifica, Mountain View, Saratoga, Los Gatos and parts of San Jose.