SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) — Shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m. in the Bay Area, ballots being counted revealed eight-term Congressman Mike Honda is facing a spectacular defeat to challenger Ro Khanna, the Fremont attorney raced out to an early lead in the race between the two.
As this is being written, Khanna has received 58 percent of the vote to Honda’s 42 percent. Registrars in both Santa Clara County and Alameda County said this is a significant chunk of the return, with most voters handing in early absentee ballots that are now being counted.
Campaign manager Michael Ambler told the San Jose Mercury News they are “cautiously optimistic” about the early polling data. This election marked the second in as many cycles the two have squared off.
Critics believed Honda had his work cut out for him after Khanna captured the party’s nomination at their June state primary. The 75-year-old Honda has also been plagued by a House ethics investigation for more than a year, allegations of using taxpayer funds for campaign purposes have been levied against him.
The contest in California’s 17th Congressional District got even dirtier just days before Election Day — Mike Honda aired a TV ad portraying Khanna as a slimy Wall Street puppet. Khanna fired back his own ads, portraying Honda as tired and unethical.
When Khanna went up against Honda in 2014, more than 20 points divided the two in the primary, a gap that the challenger closed to less than 4 points by the general election.
