The dust had barely settled from Rep. Anna Eshoo’s announcement last week that she would not seek re-election to a 17th term in Congress, when two local political heavyweights–Assemblymember Evan Low and county Supervisor Joe Simitian, both Democrats–began laying the groundwork for announcements expected this week that they’ll seek to replace her.
The expected announcements by 40-year-old Low, a five-term assemblyman and former Campbell councilman, and 70-year-old Simitian, a Santa Clara County supervisor, former state senator, assembly member, Palo Alto council and school board member, would set up a monumental generational battle for the coveted Silicon Valley congressional seat.
Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian told San Jose Inside to expect his formal announcement this week. California Assemblymember Evan Low, a Democrat who represents Silicon Valley’s 26th District, confirmed to a Bay Area LGBTQ newspaper that he is considering running to fill the seat to be vacated in 2025 by Eshoo.
Low’s longtime district director, Foothill DeAnza Community College District Trustee Patrick J. Ahrens, has pulled papers to run for Low’s assembly seat, according to the county Registrar of Voters website. That means either Low is not planning to run for California Assembly again, or Ahrens is considering running against his boss.
Low confirmed his interest in the congressional seat to San Francisco’s Bay Area Reporter on Nov. 21. He would be the Bay Area’s first openly gay representative in Washington, D.C. if elected. Low indicated he was not yet ready to make an official announcement.
Simitian acknowledged in a Nov. 22 interview that he has made no secret of his high interest in succeeding Eshoo when she steps down, but urged that the public’s attention last week focus on the contributions and legacy of Eshoo.
“Any person who follows in her footsteps must commit themselves completely to upholding her incredible legacy. 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,” Low wrote in a text message to the publication.
Low, who lives in Campbell, is a five-term Assembly member, first elected in 2014 to District 28, which was then redistricted to District 26, which includes Cupertino, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, and the Fruitdale area of San Jose
Simitian, who calls Palo Alto home, served one term as a Santa Clara County Supervisor before he was elected to the Assembly, then the Senate, before his three consecutive elections to the county board.
Two other Democrats and two Republicans have officially filed as candidates for the March 5 primary:
- Democrat Rishi Kumar, a Silicon Valley engineer and marketing consultant and former Saratoga city council member. This is Kumar’s third bid for the seat.
- Democrat Joby Bernstein, a Stanford University MBA graduate student
- Republican Peter Ohtaki, who came in third in the 2022 primary
- Republican Karl Ryan
