3- way race official after tie certified

Result is a first for a general election contest in California since state changed its system in 2012

It's official: San Mateo and Santa Clara counties on Thursday afternoon put their stamp of approval on the previous day's election results, certifying a tie for second place between Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian and state Assemblymember Evan Low in the Congressional District 16 race.

With their political futures at stake, Simitian and Low now will look toward November where they will face top vote- getter former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo in California's first three- way congressional race in a general election since it switched to a top- two system in 2012.

Simitian, Low and Liccardo are vying to replace U. S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, who represented the region for more than three decades before announcing her retirement last year. The District 16 seat includes parts of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties and runs from Pacifica to Los Gatos.

In a statement, Low said he was “honored to have won the support of our community to advance to the general election.”

“This historically close race shows that every vote really counts,” he said. “I could not have made it this far without every one of you, and I hope to earn your support once again in November.”

Low also thanked his 10 other opponents who ran a “thoughtful campaign and for their commitment to serve our community.”

“I look forward to continuing to share my vision for the future with every voter in the coming months,” he said.

Simitian, in a statement, also thanked his supporters as well as “election officials who made sure that our American democracy works.”

“Sometimes it takes a while for democracy to work,” he said. “This has been one of those times. Call it a cliffhanger, a roller coaster, a wild ride — but it has absolutely been worth the wait!”

The county supervisor also said

that he's “looking forward to hearing from the voters in my district, and I'm looking forward to sharing my vision for our nation's future.”

Low and Simitian both ended the primary race with 30,249 votes each out of a total 182,135 votes cast. Throughout the nearly monthlong vote- counting process, Low and Simitian traded places on the leader board roughly half a dozen times but never found themselves tied until the unofficial results were released Wednesday afternoon.

Liccardo had a healthy lead over the two throughout and ended the race with 38,489 votes.

With three candidates advancing to the November election, the winner ultimately might be decided by a plurality of votes instead of a majority that's seen in races with only two candidates.