California Democrat Anna Eshoo Retiring After 30 Years in House of Representatives
Eshoo is the sixth Democratic Representative from California retiring in 2024.
Representative Anna Eshoo of California, a Democrat, has today announced that she will not seek a seventeenth term representing the state’s 16th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She made the announcement in a video released today on X (formerly Twitter).
Eshoo, 80, is the 31st retirement from the U.S. House of Representatives for the upcoming 2024 cycle - 20 Democrats and 11 Republicans. Notably, she is the sixth California Democrat not to seek re-election to the House in 2024 - joining Tony Cárdenas, Barbara Lee, Adam Schiff, Grace Napolitano and Katie Porter. However, Lee, Schiff and Porter are leaving to seek the open U.S. Senate seat.
Eshoo has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since January 1993. California’s 16th Congressional District covers parts of Santa Clara, San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties - stretching from the southwestern San Francisco Bay Area through the Santa Cruz Mountains. It includes parts of San Jose as well as the cities of Pacifica, Half Moon Bay, Atherton, Palo Alto, Saratoga, Campbell, Woodside and Los Gatos.
Previously, Eshoo served on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors from 1982 to 1992. In 1988, she was the Democratic nominee for California’s 12th Congressional District but lost 51.7-46.0 to Republican Tom Campbell. In 1992, the district was renumbered the 14th and Campbell retired to run for the U.S. Senate. Eshoo once again was the Democratic nominee and prevailed 56.7-39.0 against Republican Tom Huening. That was ultimately the last competitive general election she faced in her congressional career.
From 1993 to 2013, Eshoo represented the state’s 14th Congressional District. From 2013 to 2023, she served the state’s 18th Congressional District. Since January 2023, she currently represents the state’s 16th Congressional District.
For the 118th Congress, Eshoo serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Moreover, she’s the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Health.
2020 and 2022 runner-up Rishi Kumar and climate activist Joby Bernstein have already filed paperwork to run for this district. A competitive Democratic primary is expected to form quickly to succeed Eshoo.
Under the current lines, Joe Biden won California’s 16th Congressional District with a 76.2-21.5 finish against Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. That came as Biden was carrying the state 63.48-34.32 in his ultimately successful national campaign.