In a video announcing her retirement, Eshoo noted that 66 of her bills have been signed into law by five presidents.
Eshoo was first elected to Congress in 1992 and has handily won reelection since. She has served on the House Energy and Commerce Committee for more than a decade, where she has been active on tech policy. Eshoo also sponsored bills that aim to increase online privacy and to combat domestic violence that is enabled by technology.
In 2018, Eshoo played a small but important role in bringing to light Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations of sexual assault against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh. Ford, who lived in Eshoo’s district, first contacted the lawmaker’s office about Kavanaugh, and the two women met for about 90 minutes in July 2018 to discuss the allegations.
“At the end of the meeting, I told her that I believed her,” Eshoo told The Washington Post then. “In telling her story, you know, there were details to it, and I believed her.”
More than three dozen House members have announced they will not seek reelection next year, either because they are retiring or seeking other office. Several of those are from California, including Democratic Reps. Barbara Lee, Adam B. Schiff, Grace F. Napolitano and Tony Cárdenas.
Cristiano Lima contributed to this report.