Two candidates in the March 5th “jungle primary” for California’s 16th Congressional District ended in a tie for second place, both drawing 30,249 votes, an unexpected result that will lead an unprecedented election, KQED in San Francisco reports, but there won’t be a recount. The seat is currently held by incumbent Democrat Anna Eshoo, who is retiring after more than 30 years in Congress.
Instead of undertaking a $300,000 recount for the second-place finisher to former San José Democratic mayor Sam Liccardo, who got 21.1% of the vote, the campaigns and the county commissions agreed that both second-place finishers, Democrats Assemblymember Evan Low and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, at 16.6%, would appear on the November ballot, making it the first three-way general election since California adopted the no-Party open primary system in 2010.