Zoe Lofgren
Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat first elected to the U.S. House in 1994 who now represents California's 18th congressional district, faces Republican Shane Lewis, a U.S. Marine veteran, in her 2026 reelection race.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Zoe Lofgren.
- Born
- December 21, 1947
- Birthplace
- San Mateo, California
- Education
- Gunn High School (1966)
Stanford University (BA in political science, 1970)
Santa Clara University School of Law (Juris Doctor, 1975)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Zoe Lofgren, born Susan Ellen Lofgren on December 21, 1947, in San Mateo, California, is the daughter of Mary Violet, a school cafeteria employee, and Milton R. Lofgren, a beer truck driver.
She attended Gunn High School in Palo Alto, graduating in 1966, and was a member of the Junior State of America. Lofgren earned a BA in political science from Stanford University in 1970 and a Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University School of Law in 1975.
In 1978 she married John Marshall Collins, an attorney, and they have two children.
Career
After Stanford, Lofgren worked as a staffer for Congressman Don Edwards and served on the House Judiciary Committee when it prepared articles of impeachment against President Richard Nixon in 1973. She later spent two years as a partner at a San Jose immigration law firm, was elected to the board of San Jose City College, and in 1981 won a seat on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, where she served for 13 years.
When Edwards retired in 1994, Lofgren entered a six-way Democratic primary in what was then the 16th district and defeated former San Jose mayor Tom McEnery by just over 1,100 votes. She has been re-elected every two years since.
Lofgren chaired the House Ethics Committee beginning in 2009, served three times as an impeachment manager, including in President Donald Trump's first Senate trial in 2020, and chaired the House Administration Committee in the 116th and 117th Congresses.
In the 119th Congress she is ranking member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and also sits on the Judiciary Committee.
2026 race
Zoe Lofgren is seeking reelection in California's 18th congressional district, where she was re-elected in 2024 with 64.6% of the vote. In the top-two primary she finished first with 54.86%, and Republican Shane Lewis, a U.S. Marine veteran, placed second with 29.31%. Democratic college professor Luis Arreguín and Chris Demers, a sustainable technology director with no party preference, were eliminated. Lofgren faces Lewis in the general election on November 3, 2026.