Help wanted: Congress seat could turn into good job for life

With a surprising number of congressional seats suddenly becoming vacant in California in 2020, a flood of hopefuls are running for one of the few remaining political jobs that don’t come with an expiration date.

And though the action is all in Southern California, it may not be long before a similar rush hits the Bay Area, where there are seven members of Congress age 67 or older.

It’s no surprise that politicians at all levels look with longing at a seat in Congress, where term limits don’t exist, said Darry Sragow, a former Democratic strategist who now runs the nonpartisan California Target Book, which closely follows state elections.

“If you’re politically ambitious and run across a congressional district where the incumbent has decided not to run, you’ve struck the mother lode,” he said. Because so few California races are competitive, “if you win, you may be able to hold that seat for the rest of your life.”

Contrast that to California’s governor, who can serve a maximum of eight years, or the state Legislature, where it’s 12 years and out. Even San

Francisco’s Board of Supervisors has a limit of two consecutive terms.

Now that may sound like a long time, but even 12 years isn’t much of a political career. Take Campbell Assemblyman Evan Low, a Democrat who was first elected in 2014, when he was 31. He’ll be termed out of the Legislature in 2026, when he’s 43, hardly retirement age for anyone, especially a politician.

Even Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has played the term limits game by moving from office to office since he was first appointed to San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors in 1997, will be only 59 if he finishes a second term in Sacramento, with few higher rungs on the political ladder available.

Contrast the termlimit woes of Low and Newsom to Dublin Rep. Eric Swalwell, who is now in his third term in a safely Democratic district. He won his first House election in 2012, when he was 31. Barring scandal or an unforeseen political disaster, Swalwell can stay in Washington for as long as he likes.

Swalwell even made a cameo appearance in the 2020 presidential race campaign, sharing the stage for a single debate before returning to the safety of his East Bay district.

So when a seat in Congress does open up, it’s now or possibly never for the contenders, who could be just about anyone.

“If you wake up in the morning and see a member of Congress in the mirror, why not take a shot?” Sragow said. “What’s the downside?”

That’s why there are five candidates, including one who is moving into the district from Bakersfield, seeking the seat left vacant by the decision of Rep. Paul Cook, RYucca Valley (San Bernardino County), to quit and run for county supervisor.

In San Diego County, where Democratic Rep. Susan Davis is retiring after 20 years in office, 10 contenders have lined up to replace her. Davis, 75, said she was tired of “the near weekly crosscountry commutes,” something that might one day resonate with Bay Area House Democrats who are in their 70s or closing

“If you win, you may be able to hold that seat for the rest of your life.”

Darry Sragow, who runs the nonpartisan California Target Book

in — Reps. Nancy Pelosi, Anna Eshoo, Barbara Lee, Zoe Lofgren, Jackie Speier, Mike Thompson and Mark DeSaulnier.

Elsewhere in Southern California, Rep. Katie Hill, DSanta Clarita (Los Angeles County), was considered a shooin for reelection until she resigned in October in a scandal involving reports of affairs with a campaign aide, which she admitted to, and with a House staffer, which she denied. There are eight people signed up for that seat, including Republican Steve Knight, the former incumbent Hill beat easily last year.

Then there’s GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter’s district, which isn’t vacant but soon could be. The San Diego County congressman faces a federal trial on 60 felony counts related to alleged misuse of campaign funds, and contenders are already acting as though he’ll be gone before the March primary.

There are 10 people on the list of congressional hopefuls in Hunter’s district, although four of them dropped out when former GOP Rep. Darrell Issa joined the race in September.

The number of candidates in any of those races could drop as some read the political tea leaves and get out early or look to other contests. Or it could grow, since the filing deadline for congressional races isn’t until Dec. 6.

The size of the field really shouldn’t matter, said Sragow, who has been involved in campaigns at a variety of levels in California.

“So there’s a lot of candidates,” he said. “With the votes spread out, that means you need fewer to win. And by no means is a loss a political death knell if you’re one of maybe four or five candidates who didn’t make it past the finish line.”

And then there’s always that gold at the end of the rainbow.

“The prize is that you become one of 435 people” in the House who help run the country, Sragow said. “And that’s a big deal.”