With ballots already in voters’ hands, Gov. Gavin Newsom stepped in Monday to lend his last-minute support to the District 16 congressional race, choosing Assemblymember Evan Low over the former mayor from San Jose, Sam Liccardo.
Newsom was one of the last remaining Democratic heavyweights to back the contentious race to replace longtime U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, where both candidates are from the same party. Eshoo supported Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian in the primary but did not say whether she would choose again until Election Day.
“Evan Low embodies the best of California values,” Newsom said in a statement first shared with POLITICO. “We have worked side by side on some of our state’s most pressing issues, from protecting reproductive rights to tackling affordability for California families. Evan’s proven track record of providing services to Bay Area families makes him exactly the kind of representative CD-16 voters deserve in Washington; I am proud to support his candidacy for Congress.
Low in a statement said he was “absolutely thrilled and deeply honored” to get Newsom’s endorsement.
“For the past five years, I’ve been proud to stand with him to tackle California’s biggest challenges, from affordable housing to supporting middle-class families to protecting our democracy,” Low said. “His leadership and vision for California have been inspiring. Now, together, let’s make history!
Low secured other key Democratic endorsements, including the California Democratic Party and the California Federation of Labor.
Larry Gerston, professor emeritus of political science at San Jose State University, called it “somewhat mysterious” why the governor would decide to support a Democratic-leaning race.
“It is unusual for a person in high office to choose one of the two members of their party as the favorite with their support, simply because if the other person wins, the relationship could be compromised,” he said. he declared.
As the vote approaches next week, Gerston said the endorsement may also have come too late to have an impact on voters. If the governor had weighed in on the race earlier, Gerston said Low may have had more opportunities to use his support on ads or even host a fundraising event together.
Low’s campaign sent a fundraising text and email with the news of the endorsement Monday evening.
“I just don’t understand why this happened so late in the campaign,” Gerston said. “It just doesn’t have the punch it could have.”
