SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — Representative Anna Eshoo, a Democrat from Palo Alto, announced Tuesday that she will not run for reelection next year, creating an opening for the highly influential seat representing Northern California’s Silicon Valley and parts of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Eshoo joined more than three dozen House representatives who won't run to keep their seats in 2024, even if they are seeking other offices. She made an announcement via video Tuesday morning and thanked voters for more than three decades of support.
“As the first woman and the first Democrat to ever represent our district, I’m very proud of the body of bipartisan work I’ve been able to achieve on your behalf in Congress,” she said.
The representative also invoked “God’s blessing” for her constituents.
“I want you to know you’ve made me a better person," she said. "You have deepened my love of democracy. You have demonstrated the goodness and the decency of the American people over and over again.”
Eshoo was elected to Congress in 1993, becoming the first woman and Democrat to represent her Silicon Valley district. She gained recognition for her work sponsoring bills aimed at increasing online privacy and combating domestic violence and for focusing on affordable healthcare and climate change through environmental policy.
Now, her post will be open to what is likely to be a tight competition for the 16th District, which includes the tech hub and much of San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties.
While Eshoo won reelection handily for decades in the traditionally Democratic district, often by about 70% of the vote, she had to defend her seat from a slew of contenders in more recent elections. In 2022, she beat seven candidates representing multiple shades of the political spectrum, according to local outlet Palo Alto Online. Some possible contenders for her seat could now include Josh Becker, Evan Low and former San Jose mayor Sam Liccardo, according to Politico.
Five U.S. presidents signed 66 of Eshoo's bills into law over her career, according to a press release from her office.
She also helped found two federal advanced research centers for biosafety and medical cures, spent ten years on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and served on the House Energy and Commerce Committee for more than a decade. She was named one of the most powerful women in Silicon Valley by The Mercury News and one of the 100 most influential people in Artificial Intelligence by Time Magazine.
Several of the other House representatives opting out of running for reelection are also from California, including Democrats Barbara Lee, Grace Napolitano, Adam B. Schiff and Tony Cárdenas.
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