CQ Risk Rating: Safe Democrat 
| GENERAL ELECTION: NOVEMBER 7, 2000 |
|
| Zoe Lofgren (D) | 115,118 | 72% |
| Horace Thayn (R) | 37,213 | 23% |
| Dennis Michael Umphress (LIBERT) | 4,742 | 3% |
| Edward Klein (NL) | 2,673 | 2% |
| PRIMARY ELECTION: MARCH 7, 2000 |
|
| | Votes | Percentage | | Democratic |
| Zoe Lofgren | 72,515 | 72% |
| | Libertarian |
| Dennis Michael Umphress | 2,914 | 3% |
| | Natural Law |
| Edward Klein | 1,764 | 2% |
| | Republican |
| Horace Thayn | 23,652 | 23% |
Source: Congressional Quarterly. To suggest updates and corrections: politics.feedback@cq.com
Major Industry | Population | Cities | People | Race | Median Household Income | Unusual Features
CALIFORNIA 16
:
Santa Clara County - San Jose
San Jose has long lived in San Francisco's shadow. But as the city's
size and economic stature grew in the 1980s and '90s, so did its reputation
as a major metropolitan area.
The district includes two-thirds of Santa Clara County, but 80 percent
of the 16th's residents live in San Jose. Silicon Valley's tremendous growth
has rubbed off on the city, creating a white-collar workforce and helping to
establish San Jose as a leading exporter of high-tech goods. The 16th is one
of the most ethnically diverse districts in the Bay Area. Twenty-one percent
of the population is Asian, including a large Vietnamese community, and 36
percent of residents are Hispanic.
The district becomes more rural as U.S. Route 101 heads south into the
foothills and ranchland of Santa Clara County. Wineries in Morgan Hill and
nearby San Martin are popular with tourists, while Gilroy is known for its
annual Garlic Festival.
The 16th has been solidly liberal and Democratic for many years, but an
influx of socially conservative Hispanics and white-collar workers could
begin to make the district's politics more conservative.
Major Industry
Computers, health care, agriculture
Population
571,460 (1990)
Cities
San Jose (pt.), 454,705 (1990); Gilroy, 34,396; Morgan Hill, 28,752 (1996)
People
90% urban; 7% age 65+ (ranks 48 of 52 in state; bottom third nationally);
57% married couples, 32% married couples with children; 19% college educated
(ranks 32 of 52 in state; middle third nationally); 54% white collar (ranks
37 of 52 in state; middle third nationally), 30% blue collar (ranks 12 of 52
in state; top third nationally) (1990)
Race
55% white, 5% black, 21% Asian; 36% Hispanic origin (1990)
Median Household Income
$42,223 (ranks 17 of 52 in state; top third nationally) (1990)
Unusual Features
Known today as the "Garlic Capital of the World," Gilroy was the tobacco
capital of the United States in the 1870s and home to what was then the
world's largest cigar factory, producing more than 1 million cigars each
month; San Jose served as the state capital for a short time after
California's annexation by the United States.
Source: Congressional Quarterly (Updated April 1999)
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District 16
