On March 3, and in the weeks leading up to it, the voters of California's 13th Senate district will have a tough task. With seven candidates vying to become the district's next Senate lawmaker, voters will decide which two will move on to the November general election ballot.

And that election will determine who will represent an area that has a vibrant population of nearly 1 million and is home to many of Silicon Valley's largest companies. The Senate seat is now held by former San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill, who is being termed out of office.

The candidate pool offers voters five Democrats, a Republican and a Libertarian, though their perspectives, when it comes to how they would tackle the issues facing the region, are more nuanced than party lines might suggest.

They have unique areas of expertise and policy goals that they aim to take with them to Sacramento, based on past career, civic, nonprofit or philanthropic efforts.

Read our profiles of each candidate, alongside videotaped interviews with six of the seven contenders.

Candidates debate

The seven candidates for state Senate District 13 faced off in a debate on Wednesday night, Feb. 5, from 7:30-9 p.m. Read our debate recap here. A video from the event is available on our YouTube channel.

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