Silicon Valley takes aim at veteran Democrat

When it comes to seven-term incumbent Mike Honda (D-CA), Silicon Valley’s tech titans want a lawmaker update. His challenger, Ro Khanna (D), has collected checks and endorsements from some of the technology industry’s biggest names, including Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer and investor Marc Andreessen.

Many in the industry view Khanna, a lawyer with Valley ties who is half Honda’s age, as more in tune with their views. Rep. Honda, though, has the support of virtually the entire Democratic establishment, including President Barack Obama and top members of California’s congressional contingent. Some tech leaders complain that Rep Honda, 72, doesn’t understand their industry as well as he should. They don’t have a beef with any one decision he’s made, but fault him for not being a more influential tech advocate in the House. Instead, they see Khanna as a vehicle for what they call a pro-innovation agenda more in line with their interests. They also favor the 36-year-old challenger’s relative youth, saying Silicon Valley could amass more political clout if the Facebook mantra – “move fast and break things” – extended to more of their representatives in DC. The Honda-vs.-Khanna 17th district race may be the most direct example of the industry wielding its increasing political clout as it seeks to advance its agenda in Washington. Khanna, an intellectual property lawyer and former Obama administration official, wrote a book titled “Entrepreneurial Nation” and is teaching a class this fall at Stanford on American competitiveness. He says he’s not basing his campaign on the tech industry’s narrow interests but instead advocating a broader, Silicon Valley ethos.