Two challengers take on Anna Eshoo for Congress Two challengers take on Anna Eshoo for Congress (October 29, 2004)

By Marion Softky

Congresswoman Anna Eshoo's two opponents may have little hope of ousting the six-term veteran, but they both have a message to get out.

Her votes are "an exact contradiction to values I find important," said Republican Chris Haugen of Palo Alto at a recent candidates' forum at Canada College.

Haugen, a civil engineer who co-founded and teaches at the King's Academy, a small Christian school in Sunnyvale, takes issue with Eshoo on "terror, taxes and teaching." He warned, "All Western civilization is at stake."

Libertarian Brian Holtz of San Carlos, a software engineer for Yahoo, wants to get the Republicans out of your bedroom and the Democrats out of your wallet. "We'll treat you like grownups," he said.

Eshoo, who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, blasted the Bush Administration for getting us into war "without a shred of intelligence," diverting resources from the real threat of global terrorism, and running the economy into debt. "I believe we are moving in the wrong direction," she said.

Eshoo, D-Atherton, is running for a seventh term in the 14th Congressional District, which includes Mountain View and parts of Santa Clara, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties.

Before going to Congress in 1992, she headed the San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee and served 10 years on the county Board of Supervisors.

This is Haugen's second campaign. He challenged Eshoo unsuccessfully once before in 2000.

The candidates have expressed widely differing views on the war, the economy, and national priorities.

"We must win the war on terror, or else we'll see total destruction of our way of life," said Haugen.

Holtz said he generally opposes foreign intervention, but supported this war. "Let's get out of it in a stable way," he said.

Although she opposed the invasion of Iraq, Eshoo said the United States should proceed cautiously and work with other nations to transfer power back to the Iraqis. "No one should say it's easy to get out," she said.

Haugen's other priorities include: making the 2003 tax cuts permanent; and cutting back federal involvement with education to bring control back to the local level.

Holtz would privatize Social Security and Medicare, and cut back on dozens of federal regulations, loopholes and subsidies. "We should put in the right policies and let the economy take care of itself," he said.

Eshoo stressed investing in technology, education, women and families, the environment, and health care. She called for "accountability instead of piling up debt for our children and grandchildren."

Haugen agreed with Eshoo on one thing -- to keep the words "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. Holtz would take them out.

Marion Softky is a writer for The Almanac, a sister publication to the Voice.

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