San Diego City Council President Georgette Gómez on Wednesday established a campaign committee to run for the congressional seat that represents California’s 53rd District.

The seat will be open in 2020, after longtime Rep. Susan Davis announced last week that she will not seek re-election for a potential 11th-term.

Gómez has scheduled a “major announcement” for Saturday and tweeted last week that she was seriously considering running for the seat.

A congressional run would also mean Gómez would forgo pursuing another four-year term on city council. She is up for re-election for next year.


She could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday.

If Gómez, a City Heights resident, officially enters the race, she’ll join a rapidly growing field that emerged since Davis’ surprise announcement.

Democrat Sara Jacobs, who lost a tight primary contest to Rep. Mike Levin last year in the 49th District, entered the race over the weekend, as did Republican Famela Ramos.

Democrats Jose Caballero, a Navy veteran and delegate for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2016, and Joaquín Vázquez, a policy adviser, have already announced and been campaigning.


Lemon Grove Mayor Racquel Vasquez also said she is seriously considering running for the seat.

Even in a crowded field Gómez would likely be considered one of the most formidable candidates. A longtime community organizer, Gómez’s profile has risen quickly since being elected to City Council in 2016 and being unanimously elected council president last December.

On city council she has become well known for advancing new transportation and housing policies, and she has served as chair of the Metropolitan Transit System board.

In the 53rd Congressional District registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans, 184,464 to 94,421. The district includes communities north of Interstate 8, from Linda Vista to El Cajon, and areas south of the freeway, including Mission Hills, areas around Balboa Park, parts of Mid-City, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, Spring Valley and Chula Vista.