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Rep. Mike Honda
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CONGRESS | Mike Honda made another early move for re-election in 2014 by already announcing his campaign team this past week hoping to get an early start on heading off potential competitor, Ro Khanna, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary in U.S. Department of Commerce.
According to a press release Honda hired Terris, Barnes & Walters as his campaign management and media consulting team who has done work with Rep. Mike Thompson, State Sens. Jim Beall and Bill Monning and the late Tom Lantos, among others. Incidentally, Khanna once opposed Lantos for Congress in 2004. Michael Terris was also Pete Stark’s political consulant last year during his unsuccessful bid for re-election in the 15th Congressional District.
Berry Barnes, the lead consultant on Honda’s team stated in the press release, “I’ve known Mike for 20 years and have seen the amazing things he has accomplished for the people of Silicon Valley. He is known and loved by this community. He is the right guy at the right time to help grow our local economy. He is also a national leader on core issues like education and job creation.”
Honda also hired Lake Research Partners for polling, Full Court Press Communications for communications and social media and re-hired Lamar Heystek as his field director. Furthermore, Honda has received another early endorsement from Democratic National Committee Chair, Howard Dean and 20 members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.
Honda’s early endorsements and campaign team announcement further confirms the 17-term congressman’s fears of being usurped by another young up and comer. After Eric Swalwell defeated long-term incumbent Stark last fall, insiders started talking about Honda fearing a loss in 2014 for re-election.
Khanna, 36, who use to work for the Obama administration, may strike that blow thus dampening more of the old power base in the East Bay that use to consist the likes of State Treasurer Bill Lockyer and Stark.
Khanna, however hasn’t even officially announced a run for the 17th yet. Last year he thought of running in the 15th against Stark, but decided against the idea and instead endorsed the firebrand incumbent and even hosted a fundraiser for him. Khanna likely hoped that Stark would retire in 2014 if he was re-elected thus giving him a chance to face off against State Senator Ellen Corbett. Khanna had raised $1.2 million for a run for Congress last year in one financial period raising eyebrows from local politicos and media.
Khanna had revealed to The Citizen last November that he was to meet with Corbett to discuss the 2014 election season and the deal offered was for him to run against Honda to avoid interfering with Corbett’s faceoff with newly elected congressman, Swalwell. Since then Corbett has told The Citizen that she thinks Khanna will go for Honda instead of Swalwell in 2014 even though Khanna has yet to publicly commit to that.
But Honda appears to likely ward off competition by soliciting endorsements, campaign contributions and bolstering his ranks for potentially a difficult battle in 2014. If Khanna defeats Honda it would become the second time in two years an entrenched incumbent is defeated by a young challenger in the East Bay, whereas just a single incumbent congressman in California had lost in the previous decade years when Rep. Jerry McNerney beat Richard Pombo in San Joaquin County.
Shane Bond is an East Bay Citizen contributor.
ebcitizen.com 
Attention Readers! Beware of 2:46 and 8:50.
This person spews the same rhetoric (garbage) on every Citizen article related to Ro Khanna. This person is narrow-minded, uninformed, and quite possibly a racist. You've been warned.
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6:38, spoken like a TRUE Khanna apologist.
Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you the Ro, I'll continue to shop around for a district that I think I can win, Carpetbagger Khanna campaign committee.
Our motto: If at first you don't succeed in San Mateo County, then move to Alameda County and lie low, finally trying to make inroads into Santa Clara County! Yep. Been there. Done that…again.
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Staying with the theme that “some people should get their facts straight”, the Budget Control Act that Honda voted for authorized the establishment of a select committee of bipartisan Congressmembers, which was tasked to come up with an alternative set of policies to achieve the same amount of deficit reduction. The sequester was famously constructed to be such a stupid, unappealing set of deficit reductions that it would act to motivate the bipartisan Supercommittee to come up with an alternative set of deficit reductions. However, that would have required compromise, and the GOP Congressional leaders displayed their absolute unwillingness to compromise by selecting a roster of Supercommittee members who had all signed Grover Norquist's famous pledge to never, ever raise a single tax ever, for any reason. Ever.
So, the claim that Honda voted in 2011 to cut the FAA in 2013 is false. Also, complaining that a politician should stop “campaigning” altogether is truly bizarre and stupid. Campaigning, frankly, is part of a politician's job, AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN. Never in the history of our country has a person gained and maintained State or Federal offices without campaigning. A politician who plans for a substantial campaign when another aspirant for Federal office in their region already has over a million dollars in their campaign fund is merely a wise politician.
Among other things, campaign appearances are where politicians establish for the people they represent which people and policies they support, which ones they oppose, and which subjects have their greatest attention. It also allows politicians to interact with constituents. Overall, these methods make politicians more accountable than they would be if constituents were forced to take dry readings of the Congressional record as the chief method of discovering their Representative's actions.
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Khanna in the 1%? Puhhlleeasseee!! The same person always spewing the same crap! He comes from a modest background and many people would be surprised to know that he is still paying off his student loans. He is hard-working as they come. He isn't driven by money or luxury. He's driven by the desire and willingness to to be an effective public servant.
I have respect for both Honda and Khanna – and know them both. However, some people really should get their facts straight before posting absurd comments like the first poser.
In all fairness, both Honda and Khanna are new to this district. You might recall that a little thing call redistricting happened last year. But you are too shallow and narrow-minded to do your homework.
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Instead of campaigning Honda should be in DC worrying about cuts to the FAA due to the sequester, the one he voted for in 2011. Oops.
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The House of Reps are elected every 2 years meaning they are virtually campaigning from Day 1 of their term. Most of the time incumbents do not face credible opponents. The new electoral system of the top 2 candidates facing off changes things as Swalwell proves. Honda realizes this. Coupled this with his new district, you can see why Honda is kicking his campaign into gear.
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No challenger, as of yet, is the point. Why is Honda acting like this? Maybe he think its prudent to be prepared, but that's not how it's coming across. Chill, Mike.
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Khanna is a carpetbagger and has no roots or ties to this community. I don't care what type of work this member of the 1% has done, he has no connection to the residents of this congressional district.
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