United States Representative, District 16

Sam Liccardo is in Congress now, after two terms as mayor of San Jose. As mayor, he says the city cut homelessness on the streets. He also says San Jose had the lowest murder rate of any big U.S. city. Before that, he was a federal prosecutor. He handled cases of sexual assault and child abuse.

He says he ran for Congress to fight high costs, build more housing, and protect the Constitution. In 2022, he was sued along with the city of San Jose. The suit claimed he used a private email account to dodge public records law. His office says it gave out thousands of pages of records in response.

He promises to cut housing and health costs. He also promises to defend the rule of law and prepare for climate change. In Congress, he has worked on housing bills with both parties. He wants to hold officials accountable.

Peter Sundin Soulé is a Republican businessman. Their family has run Soule Steel in the Bay Area since 1911. They worked in the family firm doing property management and steel work. They also served on the San Jose Civil Service Commission from 2007 to 2011.

They say the area needs someone in Congress who will stand up for taxpayers and the next generation. They have not held public office before. So there is no voting record or lawsuit to judge them on. What we know comes mostly from their own campaign.

They promise to cut what they call waste in government. They want lower water and energy costs for farmers. They also want visa rules changed to favor American workers. They call for parental rights in schools and job training for students.