Federal

United States Representative, District 17

This person holds your district's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives (2-year term).

Representative Ro Khanna took 62.3% of the June 2 vote. Republican Ritesh Tandon took 14.8% and claimed the second slot. Khanna has raised $13,761,491. That is the largest campaign fund of any candidate on this ballot, state or federal. The district covers Fremont, Santa Clara and part of Silicon Valley.

The winner holds one of 435 seats in the U.S. House for a two-year term. A member introduces bills, sits on committees that shape federal legislation, votes on the federal budget and on war powers, and handles casework between constituents and federal agencies. Seniority governs committee standing, so a longer-serving member carries influence a newcomer cannot.

One number here is worth pausing on. The incumbent raised $13.76 million and took $1,000 of it from PACs and committees — effectively none. Of every candidate on this ballot he has both the largest campaign and the smallest institutional share of it, at roughly seven thousandths of one percent. Whatever you make of the scale, the composition is unusual and verifiable.

Ro Khanna

Ro Khanna represents this Silicon Valley district. He is in his fifth term in Congress. He is the top Democrat on a House panel that oversees cyber and tech policy. He also sits on a committee that tracks China. He says his work aims to bring back American manufacturing and help working people.

He says he will fight to protect immigrants' rights and fix abuses in the system. He backs a path to legal status for people brought to the country as children. In September 2026, he proposed the Illegal War Refund Act. It would use Defense Department money to repay Americans for costs from what he calls an illegal war with Iran.

He promises to back legal status for immigrants, guest worker visas, and asylum for refugees. He also backs Medicare for All, which he says could save the country over a trillion dollars a year. He has proposed rules to keep new AI data centers away from homes and schools.

Ritesh Tandon

Ritesh Tandon has lived in the Bay Area for more than two decades. He holds a master's degree in computer engineering and an MBA. He works as a research fellow at UC Berkeley's business school. He has spent his career in nonprofit work, business, and startups.

He says his grandfather fought for India's independence. That taught him that freedom is never free, and that is why he is running. He has not held elected office. So there is no voting record to judge him on. What we know comes mostly from his own campaign.

He promises to lower housing, health care, and energy costs. He wants to cut taxes for working families and secure the border. He also calls for skills based legal immigration. He wants schools to teach artificial intelligence.

Record in office

Ro Khanna (Democratic) has served in the U.S. House since 2017 and has sponsored 50 bills in the 119th Congress; 8 of their career bills have become law. Ritesh Tandon has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress; these records cover only those offices. Per Congress.gov and the public-domain congress-legislators roster, retrieved 2026-09-21.

Financial info

Individuals
PACs & committees
Self-funding

Ro Khanna

$13,761,491 raised

Individuals$12,735,790100%
PACs & committees$1,000<1%

Ritesh Tandon

$37,653 raised

Individuals$37,628100%
Self-funding$25<1%

Total raised is all receipts for the 2026 cycle; the breakdown lists direct contributions, so the pieces can sum below the total. Figures are FEC filings through June 30, 2026, per the FEC bulk campaign-finance summaries, retrieved 2026-09-21.

Your pick

This is one race on your ballot. Vote or Else shows every contest you will vote on — Congress, the Legislature, your county, city, and school board — each broken down the same way. Enter your address to see your full ballot.