Golden chance for tech in California race

For the well-heeled technology moguls of Silicon Valley, the race for California’s first open Senate seat in decades is shaping up to be a political gold rush.

The announced departure of Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) in 2016 offers the industry -- a fast-evolving player in politics -- a rare chance to cultivate a powerful new ally, someone who can push its growing agenda in Washington while representing a sector that views itself as the key economic engine for California and the rest of the country. Securing a congressional advocate is no easy task, a lesson Valley elites learned in 2014 when they funded a losing House candidate in their own backyard. But tech sees early potential in Senate hopefuls like state Attorney General Kamala Harris (D-CA) -- though AG Harris has been tough on the industry in the past and may need to articulate a broader tech platform before companies and executives fully embrace her.