San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen and Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone have endorsed Democratic challenger Ro Khanna to represent the 17th Congressional District — a triple blow to Rep. Mike Honda.
None of the three prominent local Democrats endorsed either candidate last year during their first showdown that ended with Honda, D-San Jose, beating Khanna by 3.6 percentage points. And none, at least in their initial statements, hinted that the House Ethics Committee’s ongoing probe of blurred lines between Honda’s office and campaign influenced their endorsements.
All three issued statements praising Khanna as innovative, independent and indefatigable, making him a better choice than the eight-term incumbent to serve the heart of Silicon Valley and the first Asian-American-majority district outside Hawaii.
“Silicon Valley’s congressman should embody its ethic, spirit and values,” Liccardo said. “Someone who can build coalitions to get things done. Who will aggressively lead on issues, not follow. Someone who understands Silicon Valley’s economy, isn’t driven by ideology, but innovation.”
Rosen said Khanna’s background as a Commerce Department official under President Barack Obama and as author of a book on reviving the nation’s manufacturing base demonstrate his commitment to public service. “Ro will put the interests of our families first, not the special interests. He will work with people to get things done, not try to pit us against one another. And he will always act with the highest integrity.”
Stone said Khanna “personifies the qualities for which Silicon Valley is widely known and respected. He’s young, smart and energetic. As county assessor, I look for candidates who are fiscally responsible and innovative. We need a lot more of that type of leadership in Congress.”
Last week, Khanna announced his endorsement by state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles. Adam Alberti, spokesman for Honda’s campaign, told the Sacramento Bee at that time that “the congressman enjoys near universal support of the Democratic establishment” in Silicon Valley.
On Thursday, Alberti said this “is typical Ro Khanna, trying to make mountains out of molehills.”
“There are no surprises on this list of endorsers. The fact that Khanna is trying to show his Democratic support with this sparse list of endorsers demonstrates the weakness in his support among Democrats,” Alberti said. “To date, Mike Honda has not lost a single endorsement from last cycle. The reason is simple: Mike Honda is the only true Democrat in the race, and the conservative politics of his challenger do not match the progressive nature of the district.”
Liccardo and Stone have backed pension reforms and performance measures for public employees, putting them at odds with their party’s labor-union base.
Khanna spokesman Hari Sevugan replied: “If Mike Honda thinks the mayor of San Jose, the Santa Clara County assessor, the Santa Clara County district attorney and the president pro tempore of the Senate — each of whom remained neutral in 2014 — are insignificant Democrats, he’s not just dangerously out of touch with the desire for change these endorsements represent, but out of touch with the reality of his situation.”
Since losing to Honda last November, Khanna has been busy — not only taking a new job with an energy-efficiency software company in January and getting married in August, but also working with local residents and officials on community issues. He helped Liccardo develop San Jose’s new manufacturing initiative; stood with Santa Clara residents to urge their City Council to ask the San Francisco 49ers to pay fair market value on the parks and soccer fields around Levi’s Stadium; and worked with Milpitas Mayor Jose Esteves to seek a solution to the Newby Landfill’s odor issue.
Honda has been busy too, using his seat on the House Appropriations Committee to bring home the bacon for projects such as BART’s extension to San Jose, as well as rolling out scads of legislation in areas that include science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education; support of small businesses; and combating human trafficking.
But he also has been busy explaining a recently released Office of Congressional Ethics report detailing many instances in which his staff and his campaign became virtually indistinguishable, which is forbidden by House rules and federal law.
Josh Richman covers politics. Follow him at Twitter.com/Josh_Richman. Read the Political Blotter at IBAbuzz.com/politics.
