Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian to run for Congresswoman Anna Eshoo’s open seat

A week after U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo surprisingly announced her retirement from Congress after more than three decades, Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian has officially jumped into what could be one of the most competitive congressional races Silicon Valley has seen in years.

Simitian, who has served as supervisor for the northern part of the county and parts of West Valley since 2012, said in a press release announcing his candidacy for the District 16 seat that he will follow Eshoo’s “tradition” while utilizing his “own practice of prioritizing constituent service.”

“I will advance the values and issues that are the hallmark of our Valley: innovation, inclusion and fairness,” he said.

Before becoming supervisor, Simitian served in both the California state senate and assembly, representing 14 of the 15 cities in the district over the course of his political career. District 16 covers a large swath of the Peninsula and the South Bay, running from Pacifica in the north to San Jose, Los Gatos and Pescadero in the south.

The supervisor has been eyeing a congressional bid for years now, and opened his campaign committee, Friends of Simitian, back in 2009. Since then, he’s racked up more than $600,000 in campaign cash.

Simitian’s announcement comes with an already lengthy list of endorsements from more than 130 local elected officials including Menlo Park Mayor Jen Wolosin, San Jose Councilmember Dev Davis, Mountain View Mayor Alison Hicks and Los Gatos Mayor Maria Ristow.

If elected, Simitian said he will “fight to reverse climate change, product reproductive rights and tackle the housing crisis.

“On the Board of Supervisors and in the State Legislature, I took on tough problems and powerful interests and won,” he said. “I’ll do the same in Congress.”

Simitian, a Democrat, is expected to face fierce competition for Eshoo’s seat, with local politicos expecting Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Cupertino), state Sen. Josh Becker (D-San Mateo) and former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo to run.

Former Saratoga City Councilmember Rishi Kumar, who has unsuccessfully challenged Eshoo in the last several elections, was already in the running before the congresswoman announced her retirement.