Ro Khanna, a former Indian-American Obama administration official has gained crucial support from two major newspapers in California for the Silicon Valley seat in the US House of Representatives against a fellow Democrat who is a seven-term lawmaker.
Khanna, 37, has received a pair of new endorsements from two of the state's largest and most influential newspapers: The San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News.
They have both voiced their preference for Khanna, former deputy assistant secretary in the commerce department against seven-term lawmaker, Mike Honda.
He has represented the 17th Congressional district-the first majority Asian-American district in the heart of Silicon Valley for 14 years.
"Ro Khanna's time has come ... We recommend Khanna... even though the incumbent is the venerable Mike Honda, whose personal graciousness and alignment with Democratic and labour causes have endeared him to many," Mercury News editorial board wrote.
"Khanna has prepared himself well through his career choices and by undertaking thoughtful analysis of the big issues affecting Silicon Valley's ability to thrive," it said.
"An intellectual property attorney, Khanna has developed theories on how to revive manufacturing in this country without disengaging from the world economy and wrote a book about it," Mercury News said.
"Khanna could end up in a runoff with Honda. Unseating a longtime incumbent still would be very hard, but we hope he succeeds. He is ready for the Congress of tomorrow, while Honda is a politician of the past," it said.
California's primary election will be held on June 3. Under the state's election system, the primary's top two finishers will go on to compete in November, meaning both Honda and Khanna could advance to the general election.
"She has a stirring life story but no record in civic life, no knowledge of technology issues and murky ideas even about health care reform, which should be her forte," it said.
"Our endorsement of Ro Khanna is not so much a repudiation of Honda as a recognition of the opportunity for an upgrade for a congressional district defined by innovation, resourcefulness and a commitment to meritocracy," the editorial board of the San Francisco Chronicle was quoted as saying by the local media.
"Khanna will help promote those values in a US Capitol that desperately needs them," it said.
