Santa Clara County DA Jeff Rosen likely to see another term
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen is seen in this file photo.

Last updated 5 p.m. on Monday. The next update will be 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

Incumbent Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen appears to be cruising to outright reelection, marking an easy end to the first contested election he’s faced since he first took office in 2010.

With 94% of the votes counted, Rosen is enjoying a comfortable lead with 56.19% or 170,964 votes. In second place is former Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Daniel Chung with 24.37% or 74,154 votes. Deputy Public Defender Sajid Khan is in third with 19.44% of the vote or 59,151 votes.

“Today’s vote once again shows there is a mandate for safety and fairness,” Rosen said in a statement. “Not one at the expense of the other, but both. Although I disagree with their political positions, I respect the Democratic principle of those who also ran for this vital job. I hope they continue to use their passion to help people.”

Chung told San José Spotlight he’s pleased with coming in second, and he won’t concede the race because there are more ballots to be counted.

“Given the amount of money and endorsements (they had), for me to be pulling No. 2 on preliminary results is extraordinary,” Chung said. “I think my message really resonates with people. They really understand that my beliefs about the criminal justice system and about public safety issues are real and something we need to address in a systematic way.”

Khan said he’s proud of his campaign with its grassroots support and the issues it raised.

“We’re really excited to see how this night unfolds,” he told San José Spotlight.

Rosen, a 54-year-old Democrat, was elected as DA in 2010. He joined the office in 1995 and before that worked in entertainment litigation for a couple of years in Los Angeles. Rosen received his bachelor’s degree from UCLA and received his juris doctorate at UC Berkeley.

He is endorsed by Santa Clara County Supervisor and San Jose mayoral candidate Cindy Chavez, Assemblymember Evan Low and the San Jose Police Officers’ Association. As of April, Rosen has raised over $532,000.

Chung, a 33-year-old former Santa Clara County deputy DA, joined the DA’s office in 2018 where he prosecuted violent felonies and domestic violence cases. Prior to that he worked in the DA’s office in Bronx County, New York. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard College and a law degree from Columbia Law School. He is not affiliated with any political party.

Chung is endorsed by the Los Gatos Police Officers Association and Gilroy Councilmembers Dion Bracco and Carol Marques. As of April his campaign has raised over $22,500.

Khan, a 39-year-old deputy public defender, has worked for the Santa Clara County Public Defender’s Office for nearly 14 years and previously served as a deputy public defender in Contra Costa County. He received his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley and his law degree from UC Hastings.

Khan, a registered Democrat, is endorsed by Assemblymember Alex Lee, Working Families Party of California and Services Employees International Union-United Health Care Workers. As of April he has raised over $321,000.

Contact Eli Wolfe at [email protected] or @EliWolfe4 on Twitter.

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