Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian M.A. ’00 and 26th District assemblyman Evan Low tied in second place in the California District 16 primaries, moving both candidates to the general election.
Simitian and Low both received exactly 30,249 votes after weeks of ballot counting, according to the New York Times. The tie was announced on April 3, after 23 days of ballot counting to ensure every vote was valid and counted in the close race.
Simitian received a masters degree in International Policy from Stanford and has served in public office for 28 years. He is endorsed by CA-16’s incumbent Anna Eshoo. In an interview with The Daily about his campaign in February, he described the current moment as “a particularly daunting time in American history,” in need of dedicated politicians.
“At this time, it’s all the more important that good people step up, people who can do the job. I believe I am one such person,” Simitian said.
Following the announcement of the tie, Simitian released a statement thanking his supporters and looking ahead to the general election. “Thanks to those who cast their vote in support of my candidacy. Every vote is counted and every vote counts,” he said, “I am ready to do [important work], that means winning in November.”
Low, who is from San Jose, is the former mayor of Campbell. Low vowed that his campaign “will work [even] harder to hone in on our message and to earn the trust of the district,” in an interview with The Daily in February. He described the 16th district as having an “incredible capacity of bright young individuals,” including Stanford students.
Offering an explanation for his own decision to run for Congress, Low spoke about representing a younger generation in politics. “It’s time for a new generation of leadership. It’s important that this generation answers the call to public service.”
This tie comes after former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo won the first seat in the general election on March 11, with a final tally of 38,489 votes.
Under California law, an exact tie allows both candidates to proceed to the general election. There will now be three candidates, instead of the usual two, vying for the district’s seat in the general election: Liccardo, Simitian and Low.
One of the three will replace Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, who is retiring once her term ends after serving thirty years in Congress.
The Daily has reached out to the Low campaign for comment.
This article has been updated with comment from the Simitian campaign.