When Ro Khanna announced his intention to stand against long-time incumbent Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif) in 2014’s 17th Congressional District race, members of Honda’s campaign sat up and took notice.
“Mike’s running hard,” said spokesman Dan Cohen for the Honda campaign. “He’s taking the challenge seriously.”
The 17th Congressional District is located in the heart of Silicon Valley and encompasses vast swathes of northern and central Santa Clara County. The Honda campaign, explained Cohen, will focus on work the congressman has done in his 30-year political career – 12 as a congressman – to advance the South Bay Area on issues as diverse as LGBT rights, immigration, biotechnology, health care legislation, STEM education – which encompasses fields of study in the categories of science, technology, engineering and mathematics – and technology.
“This is not a guy who has stopped,” Cohen said. “He’s a leader on issues that matter.”
When online news aggregator the Huffington Post reported Khanna’s plans in April 2013, it explained how Khanna had enlisted operatives from President Obama’s winning 2008 and 2012 campaign teams. Still, Honda has some pretty impressive names lining up behind him. In addition to the president’s endorsement, Vice President Joe Biden joined Honda for a sit-down chat with voters at Hobee’s Restaurant in Sunnyvale June 17.
“You would have thought he was a rock star,” Cohen said. “People were really excited.”
Cohen says Rep. Honda is looking forward to an honorable battle for the congressional seat in 2014. He repeated what the congressman has told him on many occasions since Khanna announced his intentions.
“It’s a free country, anyone can run,” Cohen said.
A call to the Khanna campaign hotline was not returned.
