ElectionsSanta Clara County

Follow the money: Silicon Valley’s 2024 general election

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July 31, 2024November 5, 2024
U.S. dollar bills layered on top of each other
San José Spotlight is following the money in local campaigns for the 2024 election. Image courtesy of Pixabay.

Candidates have raised millions of dollars across many contentious races to represent Silicon Valley, on national, state and local stages.

The most anticipated race is in Congress, for who will represent Congressional District 16 following Rep. Anna Eshoo’s retirement. After a crowded March primary election, former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo came out on top, with a tie for second between Assemblymember Evan Low and Supervisor Joe Simitian.

A controversial voter recount requested by a former supporter of Liccardo’s and funded by a newly created super PAC knocked Simitian off the November ballot. Now, the race is between Liccardo and Low. As of the July quarterly filings, Liccardo has raised a collective total of $4,338,802.71 and Low has raised a collective total of $2,489,160.71 for their November campaigns.

Congressional District 16 covers parts of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties including Los Altos, Campbell, Los Gatos, Mountain View and parts of San Jose and unincorporated communities. The race was already boasting millions of dollars before the March primary, with candidates spending big on polling, mailers and TV and digital ads.

Super PACs sank more than $2 million into the race ahead of the primary election and the six that have spent to support Liccardo and Low still have cash on hand. Five are supporting Low and have spent a combined $855,000 on the race, with donors to the largest spender being PG&E and the California Apartment Association. Liccardo’s sole supporting super PAC has spent about $516,000 and received half a million dollars from New York philanthropist Michael Bloomberg, with whom Liccardo shares a history of support.

Closer to home, Foothill-De Anza Community College District Board President Patrick Ahrens and Santa Clara County Board of Education Member Tara Sreekrishnan are competing to see who will fill Low’s seat in California Assembly District 26, which covers Sunnyvale, Cupertino and parts of San Jose.

In Santa Clara County, District 2 Supervisor Cindy Chavez and District 5 Supervisor Joe Simitian are terming out. Betty Duong, Chavez’s chief of staff, and former San Jose Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen are facing off for the District 2 seat, while Mountain View Councilmember Margaret Abe-Koga and California State Board of Equalization member Sally Lieber are racing for the seat in District 5.

Four seats on the San Jose City Council are also up for grabs in Districts 2, 6, 8 and 10. Councilmembers Sergio Jimenez and Dev Davis are terming out, leaving their seats open. Retired Santa Clara County sheriff’s deputy Joe Lopez and Pamela Campos, a low-income fund policy and program officer, are facing off to fill Jimenez’s District 2 seat. In District 6, investor Michael Mulcahy is racing against LIUNA Local 270 Political Advisor Olivia Navarro.

In District 8, incumbent Councilmember Domingo Candelas is running against San Jose Police Department sergeant Tam Truong for another term. Incumbent Councilmember Arjun Batra is racing against Planning Commissioner George Casey to keep his seat in District 10.

San José Spotlight is following the money this election season and will update these trackers regularly. More trackers will be added after the financial filing deadline for state and local races.

Last updated: July 31

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Congressional District 16

State Assembly District 26

Assembly District 26 covers Santa Clara and parts of San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Cupertino.

Moving on from the primaries, the candidates hoping to fill Assemblymember Evan Low’s seat in Sacramento are:

    • Patrick Ahrens, Foothill-De Anza Community College District Board President
    • Tara Sreekrishnan, Santa Clara County Board of Education Member

Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 2

The county’s District 2 covers downtown San Jose and East San Jose.

Moving on from the primaries, the candidates hoping to fill Cindy Chavez’s seat are:

Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 5

The county’s District 5 covers Los Altos, Mountain View, Cupertino, Saratoga and parts of southwest San Jose.

Moving on from the primaries, the candidates hoping to fill Joe Simitian’s seat are:

San Jose City Council District 2

The city council’s District 2 covers parts of south San Jose down Highway 101, including part of the Santa Teresa Neighborhood.

Candidates hoping to fill Councilmember Sergio Jimenez’s seat are:

San Jose City Council District 6

The city’s District 6 covers Willow Glen, Santana Row, The Alameda and parts of downtown.

Candidates hoping to fill Councilmember Dev Davis’ seat are:

San Jose City Council District 8

The city’s District 8 covers south east San Jose, including Evergreen, Silver Creek and Lake Cunningham.

Incumbent Domingo Candelas is running for a second term against retired San Jose Police Department sergeant Tam Truong.

San Jose City Council District 10

The city’s District 10 covers parts of south San Jose, including the Santa Teresa and Almaden neighborhoods.

Incumbent Arjun Batra is running for a second term against San Jose Planning Commissioner George Casey.

Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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