Candidates for Silicon Valley congressional race collectively raise over $1M

With primary elections quickly approaching in March, campaign dollars are rolling in for candidates hoping to be the next Congress member representing Silicon Valley.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - With nine people vying for Congresswoman Anna Eshoo’s seat, the candidates have collectively raised over a million dollars for their campaigns so far. Last month, Eshoo announced she'd step down when her term ends in 2025.

With so many people getting into this race, voters are going to have to decide who they want to support financially, and political analysts say fundraising will play an important role in who’s up next to represent House District 16.

"You need a lot of money quickly so that you can get your name out there," said Melissa Michelson, a Menlo College political science professor.

With primary elections quickly approaching in March, campaign dollars are rolling in for candidates hoping to be the next Congress member representing Silicon Valley. After announcing his candidacy on Thursday, Tech Entrepreneur Peter Dixon says he’s already raised more than $350,000.

"First of all, it gives you an indication of how popular folks are, far beyond any votes cast. So, if you can show, I’ve got a ton of people giving me donations, even if they’re small amounts, that’s a representation of their popularity and the likelihood that they’ll do well," Michelson said.

Assemblyman Evan Low, who currently represents California District 26 in Silicon Valley, says his campaign raked in $300,000 two days after announcing his candidacy. Michelson says raising money is important, but it still doesn’t guarantee a victory.

"People can say or do the wrong thing or something comes out about something they did before. Then everyone’s like ‘I thought I liked them, right?' It’s not over until all the ballots are counted, anything could happen," said Michelson.

Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian says he’s been building his campaign fund to run for Congress for years and has already raised more than $681,000. Joby Bernstein says he’s raised $50,000 and Rishi Kumar has raised about $35,000, according to federal filings. The other candidates in the race have not disclosed their financial status.

"Because if they have nothing to brag about, then that means the money’s not coming in. So that might mean somebody’s not going to be particularly competitive," Michelson said.

There’s still time, but not much time, for the candidates to raise more money. The primary for District 16 will be held on March 5 next year.