By Robert Haugh

Next year, three candidates will vie for Santa Clara County District Attorney.

Incumbent DA Jeff Rosen will run for re-election. He was first elected in 2010 ousting then-incumbent DA Dolores Carr.

Since then, Rosen has run unopposed. But not next year. Two candidates will attempt to oust him in 2022.

Sajid Khan is a Public Defender and the first person to enter the race against Rosen.

Daniel Chung is a Deputy DA who recently entered the race.

No other candidates are expected to enter this race before the June 2022 primary deadline.

County political experts consider Rosen a strong frontrunner. But some say Rosen has never had to defend his record before and doesn’t have experience running a re-election campaign. 

A major screw up by Rosen or his office could make this a competitive race. Rosen could be pushed into a November runoff making him more vulnerable in a one-on-one matchup.

All three candidates have agreed to answer Q and A from Santa Clara News Online. So stay tuned for more coverage.

Here’s a brief bio of each candidate with links to their websites for more info.

Rosen

Rosen became a Santa Clara County Deputy DA in 1995 and has served as DA for 10 years. He has taught trial advocacy at Santa Clara University Law School and has been a guest lecturer at Santa Clara University and San Jose State University.

Here’s Rosen’s campaign website.

Khan

Khan has been a public defender in Santa Clara County for 13 years. He is a San Jose High School grad. Khan has criticized Rosen publicly for prosecuting Black and Latino people at a higher rate than other races.

Here’s Khan’s campaign website.

Chung

Chung is a Milpitas native who began his career as a prosecutor in New York’s Bronx County. He’s been a Santa Clara County Deputy DA’s since 2018. Chung got into the race after he was placed on administrative leave in May because he wrote an op-ed about the rise in Asian-hate crimes that criticized his own office.

Here’s Chung’s campaign website.