An unusual recount is underway in a closely watched Bay Area
Congressional race that produced an unprecedented result. 

This is the race to succeed Representative Anna Eshoo in the 16th
Congressional district, which ended with a tie for second place, sending three
different candidates on to November.

Former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo finished first, while Santa
Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian and Assemblyman Evan Low finished in a
flat-footed tie for second, with the exact same number of votes. Under the state’s
Top Two primary law, that means all three of them advance to the general
election. Low or Simitian could have asked for a recount, but had no incentive to
do so, since a change of just one vote could leave either one of them out of the
race. They were perfectly content to go on to a 3-way race in November. But then
two private citizens requested a recount, which anyone living in the district can
do, and now Santa Clara and San Mateo counties have begun that recount, paid
for by one of those requesters.

His name is Jonathan Padilla and he used to work for Mayor Liccardo’s campaign as finance director, and he is a Liccardo donor. The other person withdrew his request. But the Liccardo campaign denies any connection to Padilla’s request. In any event, the recount is happening, Padilla is paying for it to the tune of $16,000 a day, and in the end, it may knock either Low or Simitian out of the general election in November.

KCBS Radio Political Reporter Doug Sovern, along with KCBS Radio news anchors Bret Burkhart and Patti Reising discuss.