This piece originally ran Jan. 15, 2016.
Of the nation’s 435 congressional districts, none have a greater proportion of Vietnamese residents than California’s 19th. According to the 2014 American Community Survey, 10 percent of this San Jose-based district is Vietnamese-American. Though Orange County’s Vietnamese community is larger than San Jose’s, the Vietnamese population is spread between several different districts in Southern California while they’re more concentrated here. While the Vietnamese population is large, Hispanics make up 42 percent of the seat’s population.
The 19th is centered around San Jose, the third-largest city in California and the 10th largest nationwide. Because San Jose’s airport was built so close to downtown, San Jose has a very modest skyline compared to other big cities. Still, downtown San Jose, which is contained within the 19th, includes notable landmarks like the Tech Museum of Innovation, the Children’s Discovery Museum, and the SAP Center at San Jose, the home of the hockey team the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks are San Jose’s only major league baseball, basketball, football, or hockey team (though the San Fransisco 49ers now play nearby in Santa Clara). The district also contains Morgan Hill and part of Gilroy, nicknamed the “Garlic Capital of the World.”
The district also contains San Jose’s Little Saigon neighborhood, which was the center of a major controversy in 2007 and 2008. The city councilor, including Vietnamese immigrant Madison Nguyen, originally voted to call the area the “Saigon Business District.” The move infuriated many local Vietnamese activists, who viewed the name Little Saigon as a symbol of their opposition to Vietnam’s communist government. The debate took on a new urgency when prominent activist Ly Tong undertook a month-long hunger strike. The council ended up backing down and named the area Little Saigon. Angry activists tried to recall Nguyen the next year, but she survived and won re-election.
The 19th, like most Bay Area seats, is heavily Democratic: Obama won 71-27 here. Since 1995, the district has been represented by Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren. Lofgren got her political start working for San Jose Congressman Don Edwards, who was a prominent member of the House Judiciary Committee during the Watergate scandal. Lofgren served on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors until Edwards retired in 1994, and she ran to succeed him.
Lofgren’s main primary opponent was ex-San Jose Mayor Tom McEnery. Lofgren made national news when she tried to list her occupation as “county supervisor/mother” on the ballot. Lofgren challenged the state law prohibiting this type of designation, and she attracted the attention of national women’s groups, who helped finance her campaign. Lofgren outspent McEnery and narrowly defeated him 45-42, and she easily won the general in this heavily Democratic seat: She has faced no credible opposition since then.
Lofgren, who is close to Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, has generally been a low-key member, but she came to prominence twice in 2010. Just before the midterm elections, she invited comedian Stephen Colbert to testify on immigration reform. Colbert, who had worked with the United Farm Workers as part of their “Take Our Jobs” program, showed up as his conservative character to speak about his experiences. Among other things, Colbert declared “I'm a free-market guy. Normally I'd leave this to the invisible hand of the market. . . . But the invisible hand has moved farm work to Mexico.” Lofgren was criticized for the hearing, though she maintained that Colbert had used satire to make some important points.
Throughout the year, Lofgren was charged with overseeing the trial of fellow Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel, who was accused of corruption. After the election, the House voted to censure Rangel, making him the first member to receive this punishment in almost three decades. Since Democrats went back to the minority, Lofgren has attracted far less attention, though she was active in the successful effort to kill the Stop Online Piracy Act in 2012. Lofgren, who turns 69 this December, likely will have her House seat as long as she wants it, but there will probably be a crowded contest when she decides to retire.
“The Most District” is an ongoing series devoted to highlighting congressional district superlatives around the nation. Click here for all posts in this series.