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California's 17th Congressional District elections, 2014
The 17th Congressional District of California held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014.
After finishing more than 20 percentage points behind incumbent Mike Honda (D) in the June 3 blanket primary, Ro Khanna (D) ran a strong campaign that made the race increasingly competitive as election day neared. Ultimately, Honda narrowly defeated Khanna by just under 5,000 votes in the general election, which took three days to officially call.
In his victory speech Honda said, “Together we sent a message this election could not be bought by super PACs and right-wing millionaires and billionaires. This district, and our democracy, are not for sale.”[3] Honda was referring to the endorsements and financial backing Khanna received from tech industry executives, including Yahoo chief executive officer Marissa Mayer, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt and Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg.[3]
Honda received the backing of "more traditional Democratic players," including President Barack Obama, Gov. Jerry Brown, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, MoveOn.org, Planned Parenthood and labor unions.[4]
According to Politico, "Honda, for months, touted his congressional seniority and his support among Democratic brass. Khanna, by contrast, pledged to be a more vocal, active advocate for the district."[3] While Honda appealed to traditionally liberal Democrats, Khanna attempted to appeal to moderate Democrats, Independents and Republicans by presenting himself as a bipartisan, pro-business Democrat.
The race tightened after Honda and Khanna defeated Vanila Singh (R) and Joel Vanlandingham (R) in the blanket primary election on June 3, 2014. In October, Larry Gerston, emeritus professor of political science at San Jose State University, said, “It’s reasonable to think this thing has tightened. With two Democrats in the race, there’s no place for the Republicans to go, and it’s logical to expect Khanna to pick up most of them, since he’s more conservative than Honda.”[5] Khanna also closed in on Honda by flooding the airwaves with ads and knocking on more than 6,000 doors.[6]
When asked about his future plans, Honda, who will begin his eighth term in Congress in 2015, said, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to live until 103. There's no reason to retire."[7]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: California uses a top-two primary system, in which all candidates appear on the same ballot. The top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, move on to the general election. In states that do not use a top-two system, all parties are usually able to put forward a candidate for the general election if they choose to.[8][9]
Unlike the top-two format used in some states (Louisiana and Georgia special elections for example), a general election between the top-two candidates in California occurs regardless of whether the top candidate received 50% of the vote in the first round of elections.
As of October 2025, California was one of five states to use a top-two primary system, or a variation of the top-two system for some or all statewide primaries. See here for more information.
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Voter registration: To vote in the primary, voters had to register by May 19, 2014. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 20, 2014 (the 15th calendar day before that election).[10]
- See also: California elections, 2014
Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Mike Honda (D), who was first elected in 2000.
As of the 2010 redistricting cycle, California's 17th Congressional District was located in the western portion of the state and included western Santa Clara County and a portion of Alameda County.[11]
Candidates
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
Mike Honda - Incumbent 
- Ro Khanna - Former U.S. Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary[12]
Vanila Singh- Joel Vanlandingham
Disqualified
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Mike Honda Incumbent |
51.8% | 69,561 | |
| Democratic | Ro Khanna | 48.2% | 64,847 | |
| Total Votes | 134,408 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State | ||||
Primary election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |
Mike Honda Incumbent |
48.2% | 43,607 | |
| Democratic | Ro Khanna |
28% | 25,384 | |
| Republican | Vanila Singh | 17% | 15,359 | |
| Republican | Joel Vanlandingham | 6.8% | 6,154 | |
| Total Votes | 90,504 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State |
||||
Race background
Primaries to watch
Politico published a list in August 2013 of the five primaries to watch in 2014. California's 17th Congressional District was included on the list.[13]
The race extended beyond the June 3 primary due to California's blanket primary system.[13] Under California’s newly implemented “Top-Two” system, the top two finishers in the primary advance to the November general election, regardless of their party affiliation.[13]
Mike Honda
Mike Honda (D) was regarded on Capitol Hill as a well-liked and congenial figure.[13] Honda had President Barack Obama's endorsement and the backing of Democratic power brokers, such as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel.[13] While Khanna drew support from Silicon Valley’s large Indian-American population, Honda enjoyed long-standing ties to the Asian-American community, who make up nearly half the district.[13]
Ro Khanna
Challenger Ro Khanna, who taught at Stanford University and works at a Silicon Valley law firm, tapped a vast network of tech donors to give Honda a surprisingly tough fight in 2014.[13] During the second quarter of 2013, the challenger raised over $1 million and reported having $1.7 million cash on hand — more than four times the amount Honda had.[13] Khanna went on to raise $504,450 in the third quarter and reported having $1.9 million on hand.[14] Khanna built a formidable operation filled with veterans of Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns, including Jeremy Bird, Obama’s national field director in 2012, and David Binder, one of the president’s pollsters.[13]
Khanna's campaign was largely funded by many of the technology industry's biggest names, including Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer, Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, Napster founder Sean Parker, investor Marc Andreessen and venture capitalist Steve Westly.[15]
Sham candidates
On March 24, 2014, a member of the Alameda County Republican Central Committee filed a lawsuit claiming that two Republican candidates in the race were "sham candidates," who attempted to split the Republican vote, which caused no Republican to advance to the general election. The lawsuit charged that Joel Vanlandingham and Vinesh Singh Rathore, two Republican candidates who filed at the last minute, were "sham candidates" attempting to take votes from Vanila Singh.[16]
Vinesh Singh Rathore was removed from the ballot on March 26, 2014, by a Superior Court in Sacramento on the grounds that he only collected 38 of the required 40 valid nominating signatures. Joel Vanlandingham remained on the ballot because no legal reason was found to remove him.[17]
Campaign spending
On January 23, 2014, challenger Ro Khanna sent a letter to Mike Honda proposing that the candidates take a pledge limiting spending in the race from outside groups and Super PACs. In response, Honda's campaign replied with a letter that raised the stakes and proposed a donation limit of $570.[18]
The letter stated, "We propose that all campaigns refund contributions to any donors who have already given more than this limit of $570. Your campaign can start by refunding the $11,000 in contributions from the five donors who have already requested a refund because Ro misled them. He had asked for their max-out contributions to run for an open seat, then used their money to run in a different district -- against Mike."[18]
The letter continued, "Then your campaign can continue by refunding contributions to Marc Leder (gave $5,200 to Ro) who hosted Mitt Romney for the fundraiser where he made his 47% remark, and Peter Thiel (gave $2,500 to Ro) who has given millions to the Club for Growth in order to elect far-right conservatives like Ted Cruz."[18]
Key votes
Below are important votes the incumbent cast during the 113th Congress.
Government shutdown
- See also: United States budget debate, 2013
On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[19] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[20] Mike Honda voted against the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[21]
The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[22] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. [[Mike Honda] voted for HR 2775.[23]
Endorsements
Mike Honda
Honda received the endorsement of the Democratic Party in a local vote on February 8, 2014.[24]
Honda also received the endorsement of the League of Conservation Voters.[25]
On September 2, 2014, Honda was endorsed by Governor Jerry Brown. Brown said, "Mike Honda has dedicated his career to tackling difficult issues and doing what’s right for working people. After leading the local effort to bring BART to San Jose, Mike got $900 million in federal funding for the project, creating 10,000 jobs for the Silicon Valley. Mike is an effective advocate in Congress for his district and all of California – I’m proud to support him."[26]
Ro Khanna
Khanna was endorsed by San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed.[27]
Polls
| Mike Honda vs. Ro Khanna | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Mike Honda | Ro Khanna | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | ||||||||||||||
| David Binder Research - for Ro Khanna (October 8-9, 2014) | 38% | 38% | 24% | +/-4.9 | 400 | ||||||||||||||
| Lake Research - for Mike Honda (October 7-12, 2014) | 42% | 27% | 31% | +/-4.4 | 500 | ||||||||||||||
| Democracy for America (February 13-16, 2014) | 61% | 39% | 0% | +/-4.4 | 505 | ||||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling (August 2-4, 2013) | 49% | 15% | 36% | +/-3.5 | 806 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org | |||||||||||||||||||
Media
Mike Honda
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Ro Khanna
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Campaign contributions
Mike Honda
| Mike Honda (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[28] | April 15, 2013 | $78,222.38 | $221,237.74 | $(95,714.78) | $203,745.34 | ||||
| July Quarterly[29] | July 13, 2013 | $203,745.34 | $345,894.86 | $(174,993.26) | $374,646.94 | ||||
| October Quarterly[30] | October 15, 2013 | $374,646.94 | $392,505.31 | $(207,406.20) | $559,746.05 | ||||
| Year-End[31] | January 31, 2014 | $559,746 | $250,567 | $(187,323) | $622,989 | ||||
| April Quarterly[32] | April 15, 2014 | $622,989 | $690,387 | $(229,202) | $1,084,174 | ||||
| Pre-Primary[33] | May 22, 2014 | $1,084,174 | $185,978 | $(227,859) | $1,042,293 | ||||
| July Quarterly[34] | July 15, 2014 | $1,042,293 | $341,002 | $(319,940) | $1,063,355 | ||||
| October Quarterly[35] | October 15, 2014 | $1,063,355 | $506,646 | $(605,364) | $964,638 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $2,934,217.91 | $(2,047,802.24) | ||||||||
Ro Khanna
| Ro Khanna (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[36] | April 15, 2013 | $1,016,202 | $18,403 | $(28,650) | $1,005,954 | ||||
| July Quarterly[37] | July 10, 2013 | $1,005,954 | $1,047,741 | $(308,935) | $1,744,760 | ||||
| October Quarterly[38] | October 8, 2013 | $1,744,760 | $509,742 | $(349,724) | $1,904,779 | ||||
| Year-End[39] | January 31, 2014 | $1,904,779 | $424,824 | $(355,101) | $1,974,501 | ||||
| April Quarterly[40] | April 15, 2014 | $1,974,501 | $467,252 | $(494,883) | $1,946,871 | ||||
| Pre-Primary[41] | May 22, 2014 | $1,946,871 | $141,025 | $(1,078,223) | $1,009,672 | ||||
| July Quarterly[42] | July 15, 2014 | $1,009,672 | $199,235 | $(341,485) | $867,422 | ||||
| October Quarterly[43] | October 15, 2014 | $867,422 | $323,339 | $(972,655) | $218,106 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $3,131,561 | $(3,929,656) | ||||||||
Vanila Singh
| Vanila Singh (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| Year-End[44] | January 31, 2014 | $0 | $108,201 | $(915) | $107,286 | ||||
| April Quarterly[45] | April 15, 2014 | $107,286 | $224,110 | $(30,973) | $300,422 | ||||
| Pre-Primary[46] | May 22, 2014 | $300,422 | $96,259 | $(184,881) | $211,799 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $428,570 | $(216,769) | ||||||||
**As of the 2014 Pre-Primary Report, Singh's committee owed $79,000 in outstanding loans to Vanila Singh.
District history
| Candidate ballot access |
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2012
On November 6, 2012, Mike Honda (D) won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Evelyn Li in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mike Honda Incumbent |
73.5% | 159,392 | |
| Republican | Evelyn Li | 26.5% | 57,336 | |
| Total Votes | 216,728 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State | ||||
2010
On November 2, 2010, Sam Farr won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Jeff Taylor (R), Eric Petersen (G), Mary Larkin (L) and Ronald Kabat (Write-in) in the general election.[47]
| U.S. House, California District 17 General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Sam Farr incumbent |
66.7% | 118,734 | |
| Republican | Jeff Taylor | 29.9% | 53,176 | |
| Green | Eric Petersen | 1.9% | 3,397 | |
| Libertarian | Mary Larkin | 1.5% | 2,742 | |
| Write-in | Ronald Kabat | 0.1% | 90 | |
| Total Votes | 178,139 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2014
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2014
External links
- New York Times, "Rivalries Begin to Emerge in a New Seat of Power," February 26, 2013
- California Elections & Voter Information
- California Secretary of State, Official primary candidate list
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS FOR June 26, 2014," accessed July 28, 2014
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2014 House Races," accessed July 28, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Politico, "Mike Honda defeats Ro Khanna in Calif.," accessed December 5, 2014
- ↑ Breitbart.com, "The Final Report: Mike Honda vs. Ro Khanna," accessed December 8, 2014
- ↑ SFGate.com, "Rep. Mike Honda attacks Ro Khanna as race tightens," accessed December 8, 2014
- ↑ RoKhanna.com, "New Poll Shows CA-17 Race is a Dead Heat," accessed December 8, 2014
- ↑ NBC, ""I'm Not Going Anywhere": Mike Honda Declares Victory Over Ro Khanna in 17th District Race," accessed December 8, 2014
- ↑ California Legislative Information, "California Constitution, Article II, Section 5," accessed October 20, 2025
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Primary Elections in California," accessed October 20, 2025
- ↑ California Secretary of State Website, "Voter Registration," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Counties by Congressional Districts," accessed June 8, 2016
- ↑ The San Francisco Chronicle," "Rep Honda to face Ro Khanna challenge," April 2, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 13.8 Politico, "5 House primaries to watch," accessed August 8, 2013
- ↑ Politico, "Ro Khanna raises $500K in bid against Mike Honda," October 8, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "In Silicon Valley, tech titans try to replace a longtime Democratic congressman," June 2, 2014
- ↑ Ballot Access News, "California Republican Party Official Files Lawsuit, Asserting that Two Republican Congressional Candidates are “Sham” Candidates and Should be Removed from Ballot," March 27, 2014
- ↑ Ballot Access News, "One So-Called “Sham” Republican is Removed from California Primary Ballot," March 27, 2014
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Letter from Ro Khanna to Congressman Mike Honda, January 23, 2014
- ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ Buzzfeed, "Government Shutdown: How We Got Here," accessed October 1, 2013
- ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Reid, McConnell propose bipartisan Senate bill to end shutdown, extend borrowing," accessed October 16, 2013
- ↑ U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 550," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ Campaign website, "Rep. Mike Honda Receives 92% of Votes from CA-17 Democrats for State Party Endorsement of Re-Election Campaign," February 10, 2014
- ↑ League of Conservation Voters, "LCV Action Fund endorses Congressman Mike Honda for re-election," March 6, 2014
- ↑ Political Blotter, "CA17: Gov. Jerry Brown endorses Mike Honda," September 2, 2014
- ↑ The Fresno Bee, "San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, a Democrat, endorses Swearengin," July 29, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Mike Honda April Quarterly," accessed July 23, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Mike Honda July Quarterly," accessed July 23, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Mike Honda October Quarterly," accessed October 21, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Mike Honda Year-End," accessed February 4, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Mike Honda April Quarterly," accessed April 21, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Mike Honda Pre-Primary," accessed June 2, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Mike Honda July Quarterly," accessed July 23, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Mike Honda October Quarterly," accessed October 20, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Ro Khanna April Quarterly," accessed February 10, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Ro Khanna July Quarterly," accessed February 10, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Ro Khanna October Quarterly," accessed February 10, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Ro Khanna Year-End," accessed February 10, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Ro Khanna April Quarterly," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Ro Khanna Pre-Primary," accessed June 2, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Ro Khanna July Quarterly," accessed July 28, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Ro Khanna October Quarterly," accessed October 23, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Vanila Singh Year-End," accessed February 10, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Vanila Singh April Quarterly," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Vanila Singh Pre-Primary," accessed June 2, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
