Ro Khanna comes out stronger than incumbent Mike Honda.
By Jayshal Sood
The Silicon Valley is priming itself for another fierce runoff between the incumbent Mike Honda and his star rival Ro Khanna, in November.
Congressional candidate Ro Khanna, who nearly upset Mike Honda’s chances in the 2014 midterms has come more prepared and stronger this time. “We will win by at least 10 points. . .Honestly, there’s just no path for Mike Honda at this point,” said Ro Khanna, LA Times reported.
The former intellectual property attorney, who has served under the Obama administration from 2009 to 2011 is now an experienced hand in the bloc.
“Ro Khanna is not your average candidate. . .He’s well-positioned and has worked in the Obama administration,” said veteran political consultant Andrew Acosta according to one of the reports by capitolweekly.net.
Several factors have worked for Khanna and a lot has changed since 2014. This time, Khanna has managed to secure some high-profile Democratic endorsements, for instance, that of President Obama. In addition, IT stalwarts like Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel, former Facebook president Sean Parker, and Google Inc.’s CEO Sundar Pichai, have put their weight behind Khanna.
Even on the fund raising part, the 39-year-old Indian American has a lead. According to latest data from Federal Election Commission, the Fremont resident’s campaign has raised about $2.9 million from January 2015 to June 2016. Comparatively, Mike Honda’s total receipts sum up to $ 2.2 million. Arguably, Khanna outraised Representative Mike Honda earlier, too. But, unlike 2014, this time, he has managed to channelize his campaign funds more strategically. “Khanna seems to have learned his lesson from the last cycle, when he blew through the bulk of his money before the primary, launching television ads early on and running out of steam closer to November,” according to the LA Times.
It is pertinent to mention that the 17th Congressional District has a sizeable Indian American population. And they form a good portion of Khanna’s donors. Interestingly, a major portion (98.5%) of Khanna’s total campaign funds is ‘itemized individual contributions’; to Honda’s 69.6%. The Indian-American contender boasts of this significant support mostly from the grassroots i.e. middle-class electorates.
Another impediment in Honda’s reelection is the ongoing investigation by House Ethics Committee. It is alleged that Honda’s campaign used his rank and official resources to bolster his 2014 reelection. The Office of Congressional Ethics submitted proves of wrongdoing and unethical behavior, and the probe is on. These allegations would continue to haunt the 75-year-old congressman as he fights reelection this year.
California’s 17th district, generally known as Silicon Valley, is the first district outside Hawaii where Asian-Americans make up a majority of voters. Since its inception, Silicon Valley has been a Democratic stronghold. Honda, who has been serving congress since 2001 is seeking his 9th term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Never before has he faced such tough competition for his incumbency in the last 16 years. His rival Ro Khanna is already leading in the primaries with 39.1 percent votes to Honda’s 37.4 percent.
In 2014, Khanna lost to Honda by a meager 3.6 percent votes. The former deputy assistant secretary in the Department of Commerce, however, did not stop there. He continued to prepare for the 2016 elections and announced his intentions to re-contest for the U.S. House of Representatives in the Silicon Valley. Not only did he manage to obliterate that margin, but is also leading in the current-year primaries.