2 Democrats to challenge Mullin

For Kumar, the impetus from his frustration is domestic, stemming from what he perceives as Democrats’ inadequate action against an increasingly authoritarian, powerful Trump administration and minimal proactive steps to address voters’ basic needs. 

“What all these current Democratic leaders are doing, they are lying down — hoping that people’s outrage will propel them to power in the next midterm. That’s not an action,” he said.  “We have lowered our expectations so low in all ways, by not building affordable housing, letting health care not be a universal right.” 

He has never held political office before and is an electrical engineer by education who has worked at major tech companies like Oracle and Cisco, including in corporate leadership. 

Tetrud is also a newcomer to the political scene, previously founding a granola brand, Ladera Foods, and working in the venture capital and startup space. 

He cited U.S. military and financial assistance to Israel in the Gaza war — a bombardment that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians — as a personal political awakening. Mullin’s yes votes on continued aid to Israel and financial donations from pro-Israel groups have made Tetrud question his credibility, he said. 

“I think the real driver for me was going in Gaza. … I realized that I think there’s general consensus in this country around what’s going on there, and I think people are generally unhappy that we’re sponsoring terrorism, genocide, whatever you want to call it,” he said. “One of the reasons that it’s happening is that all these people in Congress are getting paid to vote in certain ways that send money and weapons around the world.” 

Mullin, who has held the District 15 seat since 2023 and previously served in the California Assembly, was unavailable for an interview, a representative said. In a statement, Mullin said he would be running a reelection campaign based on a track record of defending democracy, climate resilience and an affordable economy for all. 

“A seat in the U.S. House of Representatives belongs to the people — not any one member. As such, I never take any election for granted and I plan to campaign vigorously for re-election and earn every vote,” the statement said. “In addition to running for re-election, I look forward to helping elect Democrats across California and the nation in 2026 so we may take control of the House and be a check on Trump and MAGA extremism.”

Campaign donations

Both Tetrud and Kumar have eschewed the donations from major corporations and lobbying groups that have become a fixture of American political campaigns. 

“When I go to Washington or when I go to county boards, when I talk to the state legislators, I will be only beholden to you, representing your interest, not anybody else’s, and that’s why I have come into politics,” Kumar said. 

Tetrud has made campaign finance a central tenant of his campaign. Although not taking money from corporate interests makes running a successful campaign “challenging,” he acknowledged, it’s also something that sets him apart from the political establishment. 

“That’s the central thesis of this campaign, is that campaign finance is causing people to vote in ways that are not representative of their constituents,” he said. 

Candidate issues

Across the country and in San Mateo County, issues like affordability, housing, health care access and regulation of artificial intelligence have quickly risen to the forefront of residents’ day-to-day lives. 

Three of these crises — affordability and AI education, as well as what he terms a crisis of democracy — would be Kumar’s priorities if elected, he said. 

While he cited some specific solutions, like federal renter’s credits that take into account renters indirectly paying property taxes, rational zoning laws that promote housing production and AI curriculum in schools, Kumar continually returned to the more intangible idea of thinking bigger and believing in an America where such ideas are actually possible. 

“When your vision is too low, your aspiration is too low, when you are trying to do tinkering around the margins, things don’t happen,” he said. “If you have a massive vision, and you bring the nation into a mission critical mode, then things happen.” 

Kumar also continually focused on the collective power of people, which he said is harder to harness when you’re a politician who has been bought out by private interests. He cited anti-Trump No Kings rallies, which have been ongoing since the president’s election, as an example of that political power. 

“I’m not in the office, so I have limited avenues to do the big fight that I want to do right now,” he said. “Among the establishment Democrats who have been there and made it a political career, it’s solely lacking.” 

Aside from the issues of Gaza and campaign finances, Tetrud said his political stances on major issues are fairly consistent with the Democratic party, including Mullin. 

He doesn’t have immediate answers to major quandaries that are continuing to stymie Democratic leadership — like how to best create a streamlined path to legal immigration amidst the Trump administration’s increasingly aggressive deportation efforts, or regulate AI at a federal level. 

Tetrud is committed, however, to bringing a humanitarian approach to politics, whether he’s approaching Gaza, immigration or the basic needs and social safety net resources that more and more Americans and San Mateo County residents will need in future years. 

“I think people need to get at the core of these issues. That’s what Gaza represented to me, and I think that’s what immigration should represent to our, you know, to Congress,” he said. “These are real human beings that are suffering. And it’s not Democratic or Republican, it’s not a partisan issue. It’s people suffering.” 

And he emphasized that on his two key issues — campaign finance reform and Gaza — he would break sharply with the Democratic establishment. 

“If people really want to see a change in the way campaigns are financed, I’m the guy. I’m the one that will fight for that issue … plus what’s going on in Gaza,” he said. “I think those two issues are two core differences I have for many of the other Democratic candidates.” 

In California’s open primary system, the two top vote-getters in a given race, regardless of party affiliation, will move on to the general election. The primary election will be held June 2, 2026.