In a race where two legislative staffers are battling it out to be Silicon Valley’s next Assemblymember, Patrick Ahrens is out to an early lead over Tara Sreekrishnan on Election night.
The District 26 seat represents Cupertino, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale and parts of north and west San Jose, and is currently held by Assemblymember Evan Low, who is running for Congress. Ahrens is Low’s longtime district director and has served on Foothill-De Anza Community College’s board since 2018. Sreekrishnan is state Sen. Dave Cortese’s deputy chief of staff and has been a member of the Santa Clara County Board of Education since 2021. Both candidates are Democrats.
The first round of results on Tuesday night placed Ahrens in the lead with more than 50% of the vote.
Ahrens said in a statement that he is “incredibly honored and humbled by the early support we’re seeing tonight.”
“This campaign has always been about fighting for a brighter future for Silicon Valley and seeing that message resonate is deeply meaningful,” he said. “While it’s still early and we’re committed to ensuring every vote is counted, I am grateful for everyone who believed our vision and worked so hard to get us here.”
Meanwhile, Sreekrishnan in a statement said that she was “inspired by the support our campaign earned across the district and deeply thankful to every supporter and volunteer who stood with us.”
“Together, we stood strong against a massive onslaught of outside spending and never wavered from our vision for a state government that fights hard on behalf of people who work hard,” she said.
The District 26 seat has captured the attention of labor unions and corporations that have spent nearly $3.7 million on the race through Oct. 30. Groups like PG&E, the California Apartment Association, Uber and the California Dental Association spent big on Ahrens, while Sreekrishnan drew monetary support from the California Nurses Association, the American Beverage Association California PAC, SEIU and the Women in Power PAC.