King 'Absolutely' Still in Race for Supe

The announcement by Margaret Abe-Koga that she would for Santa Clara County Supervisor on Thursday appears to have encouraged, not discouraged, the only other female candidate in the race, Kathleen King.

"She was a good candidate and we've worked together in the past and I admire her a lot," King told Patch. "But it gets a lot easier to have two of us versus three especially, since having the other woman drop out perhaps enhances my race for supervisor."

However, to King's dissatisfaction, Abe-Koga decided to endorse State Senator Joe Simitian.

"I'm disappointed that with my experience Margaret didn't endorse me instead of Joe," she said, adding that she has skills developed from her time in the corporate, public and non-profit arenas that set her apart for Simitian. "But that's the way this goes politically. I have strong people who have endorsed me and perhaps some who had endorsed her will now support me."

Simitian sounded enthused as he told Patch about Abe-Koga's support and "I greatly appreciate her generosity to play an active role on the campaign."

Since Abe-Koga ended her campaign today, other potential candidates–some who had flirted with the idea but had not officially announced–began to come forward.

Cupertino City Councilman Barry Chang, told Patch today, that he's "emphatically" running for the 5th District seat, along with Simitian and King.

"Even if President Obama came here and said he was running for it, I am running, no matter what," Chang said.

Former Cupertino Councilwoman Kris Wang has also , but as of December was only ""exploring the option."

Without Wang officially in the race, if a man wins the election there will be no women on the Board of County Supervisors, noted King.

However, according to Simitian, the race "is looking to be a lively and competitive election."

He's definitely happier with Abe-Koga on board.

"I'm in a better position today than I was yesterday with her support."

Additional reporting by Pam Marino and Crystal Tai.