Low, Simitian tied for second in race to succeed Eshoo

(KRON) — After weeks of vote-counting, the race to fill the U.S. Congressional seat long held by retiring Rep. Anna Eshoo took an unusual turn this week. While former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo was the clear winner of the primary with 21.1% of the vote, two other candidates are now tied for second.

Assemblymember Evan Low and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian are in a dead heat for second with 16.6% of the vote each. Under California election rules, the top two primary candidates — regardless of party — advance to the general election.

These Bay Area suburbs among best to live in California

The unusual deadlock could mean that along with Liccardo, both Low and Simitan will advance to the general election in the 16th Congressional District race, according to state election code 8142. According to Ballotpedia.org, Low received just one more vote than Simitian in the March 5 primary.

As it stands now, both candidates will be headed to the Nov. 5 general election, along with Liccardo. That means voters will be faced with the unusual choice of choosing between three candidates in the upcoming general.

District 16, which includes parts of Santa Clara, San Mateo and Santa Cruz county, has been represented by Eshoo for over a decade. However, the Democratic congressmember who was first elected to the seat in 2012 announced last year that she would retire at the end of her term.

There remains a possibility that either Low or Simitian could request a recount. However, a candidate who requests a recount has to pay for it. That could end up costing either campaign anywhere between a few thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Estimates from the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters indicate a recount would cost between $84,000 to $320,000.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.