lthough the race for 14th Congressional District has attracted little attention, the candidates involved say the glaring differences in their philosophies and policies present a clear choice for voters.
The incumbent, Anna Eshoo, is emphasizing her experience on Capitol Hill and leadership in such issues as transportation, health care, education and e-commerce. Her opponents -- Republican Bill Quraishi, Libertarian Joseph W. Dehn and Natural Law Party candidate John Black -- emphasize their "outsider" status, stating government should be controlled by the public and not special interests.
Ms. Eshoo, 57, was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1993. Her prior experience includes 10 years on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and one year as Assembly Speaker Leo McCarthy's chief of staff. She was also the first woman chair of the San Mateo County Democratic Party.
Among the accomplishments of her most recent term, Eshoo takes particular pride in authoring the Early Education Act to expand pre-kindergarten programs like Head Start; co-authoring the Patients' Bill of Rights to provide individuals with direct access to specialists and hold health plans accountable for denying needed care; writing legislation to provide all Medicare beneficiaries with affordable prescription benefits; and creating a uniform standard for business to accept digital signatures in e-commerce.
Ms. Eshoo said her success in pursuing such legislation highlights her ability to garner bipartisan support and her tenacity to see an issue through to the bitter end.
"I just keep going," she said.
If elected, Ms. Eshoo promises to work on protecting the state's environment and bolstering California's education system, as well as encouraging and building upon the success of Silicon Valley's high-tech fueled economy.
"We have a fiscal responsibility to use the (federal budget) surplus prudently," she said. "If we proceed with good sense, we can continue to produce surpluses."
Mr. Quraishi, 63, is a professional electrical and nuclear engineer who owns a local engineering firm. He decries the influence of special interests in politics, and has called the financing of campaigns "obscene, immoral and un-American and non-representative of the American people."
"Two billion dollars have been spent on the election so far," Mr. Quraishi stated in an interview. "Are we truly representing the people of this country?"
Mr. Quraishi, who supports term limits for politicians, added that he will work without pay if elected.
His campaign has also placed a great emphasis on education. Although he doesn't support vouchers for private schools per se, Mr. Quraishi said he does back any method or process -- including providing tax credits for families that send students to private schools -- that gives parents more control over their children's education.
"Education starts at home," he said.
Mr. Quraishi has also called for a coordinated plan to relieve traffic congestion in the area, opposes offshore drilling and favors adding prescription-drug benefits to health care programs.
Joseph W. Dehn III has a background in computer programming and Internet services. The 46-year-old believes the most important issue facing the public today is the role government plays in Americans' lives.
"Every other party says they have a plan for how you should live," Mr. Dehn wrote in his candidate's statement for the League of Women Voters of Palo Alto Voters Guide. "Libertarians say: you should decide...and take responsibility for your own choices."
Mr. Dehn also favors using the federal surplus to give money back to taxpayers, either through direct rebates, tax cuts or by paying down the federal debt.
John Black has worked as a Transcendental Meditation instructor since 1970. He is the director of the nonprofit Maharishi Vedic School in Palo Alto.
In his Voters Guide campaign statement, Mr. Black, 56, condemns the political system for allowing corporate and special interests to "bribe" legislators, resulting in "biased, short-sighted and ineffective policies."
Mr. Black advocates preventative health-care programs; the pursuit of renewable, safe energy sources; supplanting "soil-destroying," "water consuming agribusiness" with organic agricultural methods; and education reform.
