No verdict in CA’s 17th District congressional race.
By The American Bazaar Staff
WASHINGTON, DC: In a race that is deemed by California state officials as still open and too close to call, incumbent US Congressman Mike Honda has, however, declared victory against his opponent Ro Khanna in the 17th District, which encompasses Silicon Valley.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Honda said his team had “looked at the numbers” — he leads by 4,046 votes, according to The Associated Press, which has not declared a winner — and concluded “no matter which way it falls, we would still prevail,” reported Politico.
Honda also emphasized he’s hardly finished on Capitol Hill: Asked if 2014 marked his last campaign, he replied: “The answer is no.”
Earlier, in a statement, Vivek Kembaiyun, a spokesman for Honda, noted that the seven-term congressman led both among votes cast at the polls and in the vote-by-mail ballots already counted, reported the San Francisco Chronicle.
“With the information available, it appears that the voters have made their decision,” Kembaiyun said.
When the two first faced off among a slate of other candidates in June, Honda bested Khanna by about 20 points, but managed to finish second which led to their final clash on November 4th. Pollsters predicted a dead heat, and they were not proved wrong.
Honda, for months, touted his congressional seniority and his support among Democratic brass. Khanna, by contrast, pledged to be a more vocal, active advocate for the district. His campaign boasted high-profile endorsements from elite tech executives, including Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Google Exexutive Chairman Eric Schmidt and Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, said Politico.
The barrage of outside support specifically drew a sharp rebuke Friday from Honda. “Together we sent a message this election could not be bought by super PACs and right-wing millionaires and billionaires,” said the congressman, adding: “This district, and our democracy, are not for sale.”
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that with an estimated 40,000 votes still outstanding in the Silicon Valley district, the race is far from over, Khanna said.
“When we started this campaign nearly two years ago, I was polling at just 3 percent. Now, they’re still counting the ballots. It’s that close.” Khanna said in an e-mail message to supporters Wednesday.
1 Comment
Khanna only made it to the election by conspiring with a small group of corrupt supporters from the local Hindu temple to field a fake republican candidate to dilute another candidate’s vote share – allowing him to pass through the primary election. He is tied to these slimy politics now forever and in the end, got what was deserved.