California's 17th House District Primary

Incumbent Democrat Ro Khanna ran for the chance to again represent California's 17th congressional district in the House on June 2, taking first place and followed by Ritesh Tandon, the Republican challenger. In keeping with California's "jungle" primary system, Tandon and Khanna, the two candidates who received the most votes, will advance to the November 3 general election, while the other four former candidates will not continue to compete.

Khanna received 83,051 votes, or 62.3% of the total vote, while Tandon trailed behind with only 19,793 votes, or 14.8% of the total vote. Clearly, the momentum is favoring the incumbent candidate as November 3 approaches. The district, which encompasses part of Santa Clara County and Alameda County, has historically tended Democratic.

The Candidates

Khanna has represented California's 17th congressional district in the House since 2017. A self-described "progressive capitalist," Khanna was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and earned a B.A. in economics from the University of Chicago before obtaining a J.D. from Yale University Law School. Khanna is ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, and a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.

Tandon earned a B.S. from LD College of Engineering in India before relocating to California and obtaining an M.S. in computer engineering and an M.B.A. from Santa Clara University. Tandon previously worked as CEO of Kricel Corporation and as a research fellow at U.C. Berkeley.

The Money Behind the Race

According to FEC filings, Khanna had raised more than $12.6 million in total receipts as of May 13, of which he had spent about $6.6 million. Tandon, on the other hand, is recorded to have raised around $37,600 in total receipts as of June 30, of which he had spent just over $36,700.

Ratings vs Odds

Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections have all rated the district as "solid Democratic." The betting markets are telling a similar story: as of July 15, Democrats' chances of winning the seat stood at 99%.

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