This article was originally published on NBC Bay Area
Former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo filed to run for congress at the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters office Friday.
The two-term mayor is now in the race to take the seat currently held by Rep. Anna Eshoo, who announced last month that she would be retiring after more than three decades in Congress.
Speaking with NBC Bay Area, Liccardo mentioned issues he believed voters cared most about: homelessness, crime, and cost of living. He said those were all issues he’d dealt with as mayor and would bring that experience to Washington D.C.
“I’ve been blessed to have had the opportunity to serve in a very large stage, serve a million residents in the city of San Jose. Now I really look forward to bring what I have learned — and the innovative solutions we’ve applied — to Congress,” Liccardo said.
Liccardo is joining an already crowded field, facing off against five other candidates. Those include Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, tech executive Rishi Kumar, Palo Alto City Councilmember Julie Lythcott-Haims, Rep. Evan Low and tech entrepreneur Peter Dixon.