At 31, San Diego’s Sara Jacobs will be the youngest California representative in Congress

Representative-elect Sara Jacobs, D-San Diego, only slept a few hours overnight after winning her race against fellow Democrat Georgette Gómez in the 53rd Congressional District.

The win came after more than a year of campaigning that began once 10-term Rep. Susan Davis announced she would not seek re-election in September 2019.

Jacobs finished a close third in another district primary just two years ago. She said Tuesday’s victory is a credit to her campaign’s effort to bring people in who don’t normally see themselves in politics.

“It’s a testament to the kind of campaign that we built where we really did feel that we were working on a goal that was bigger than just me,” Jacobs said during an interview Wednesday. “We all really believed that it wasn’t just about talking about doing politics differently but actually doing politics differently.”

Due to the pandemic, Jacobs held a Zoom party for staff and supporters from her Banker’s Hill apartment where she thanked them for their efforts.

The 53rd District includes central San Diego neighborhoods, eastern suburbs and the city of Chula Vista east of Interstate 805.

Rep. Susan Davis, D-San Diego, told the Union-Tribune Wednesday that she’d texted her congratulations to Jacobs for the win. Davis, who didn’t endorse either candidate during the campaign, said she was comfortable with either woman winning and is confident the district remains in capable hands.

“I’m really confident she’ll demonstrate to people her competence and ability to get things done,” Davis said. “We (Davis’ office) have a good reputation for the way we serve the public and I know that will be an interest of hers as well.”

Davis was first elected to Congress in 2000 in what was then the 49th Congressional District, a seat she’s held since, even after redistricting moved the geography of the once coastal district inland and southward.

Asked if she had any advice for the representative-elect, Davis said that although Congress is a different place for women than it was 20 years ago, women still have to fight for recognition.

“She may experience people thinking she’s a staff member, that could happen,” Davis said. “I certainly had my stories initially.”

Davis said she found her experience in Congress most rewarding when issues she cared about matched the interests of the district, such as military family issues.

Jacobs said once she’s sworn-in to the 117th Congress on Jan. 3, her first priority is pandemic relief.

“I think that COVID-19 response and this crisis that we’re in is going to have to be the first focus of the next Congress and my goal is to make sure that we get assistance for our small businesses here in the 53rd District and that we’re supporting families.”

Jacobs said any equitable COVID-19 relief bill would include funding for child care.

Long term, Jacobs said the U.S. needs to rebuild its relationships with allies around the world. As a former State Department contractor who worked at both UNICEF and the United Nations, foreign policy was one of her strengths during the campaign.

Climate change is another priority for Jacobs, who said late Tuesday it was an issue a new generation of leaders must face. At 31, Jacobs joins a growing contingent of millennial lawmakers that includes high-profile Democratic women such as Alexandria Occasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. There are 26 millennials currently in Congress.

Speaking of taking over Davis’ seat, Jacobs said she has “big shoes to fill” and that the congresswoman is respected by Republicans and Democrats in the district for her work.

“In conversations that I had across the district, regardless if someone was a Democrat or Republican or an independent, they spoke so highly of her leadership and her representation,” Jacobs said. “I look forward to working with Susan and her team to make sure that the constituents in this district are well represented.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, election results show Jacobs with almost 154,000 votes — almost 60 percent of the vote. The 53rd District is heavily Democratic with more than 217,000 Democrats, about 122,000 registered no party preference and more than 105,000 Republicans.