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Longtime San Jose Congressman Mike Honda is contemplating throwing his hat into the city’s 2018 mayoral race — a move that could make what has so far looked like an easy reelection campaign for sitting mayor Sam Liccardo a challenge.

Related Articles Sam Liccardo has $545,000 war chest, one challenger Rumors have been swirling around City Hall for days that the 76-year-old Democrat is considering a run. Reached by phone Thursday morning, Honda laughed before telling the Mercury News, “I’m not saying no.”

Honda, who had been at a disappointing Warriors game the night before and woken by the call, was ousted from Congress after eight terms by Fremont’s Ro Khanna in a bitter 2016 election. Honda faced a congressional ethics investigation into allegations he relied on congressional staffers for political purposes, a charge Khanna used to paint Honda as a corrupt politician.

“I think a lot of people have spoken to me about it,” Honda said of a possible run. “I think it’s pretty flattering and I think it’s worth talking to people who are interested in it, but, at this point, I’ve heard the same thing you’ve heard — that there have been rumors.”

Honda is no stranger to local politics. The Sacramento-area native moved to Silicon Valley and taught science and worked as a school principal before joining the San Jose school board. He’s also served on the city’s planning commission and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. Honda joined the state assembly in 1996 before moving to Congress four years later.

“I think it’s a compliment, but I think it’s a move that would require a lot more conversation and thinking, but certainly the city of San Jose could ask themselves if the kind of mayor we need in the future…do we have that kind of person and if not, what kind of person do we need?”

Honda would likely be seen as friendlier to the labor community than Liccardo. But Liccardo, also a liberal Democrat, has had a better relationship with the unions than several of his predecessors and it’s unclear whether unions would throw serious financial support behind Honda or bide their time until 2022 when Liccardo terms out.

“Voters are clamoring for strong progressive leadership, so it doesn’t surprise me that people in the community are talking to Mike about the possibility of running for mayor,” said Ben Field, executive officer of the South Bay Labor Council.

Field demurred when asked whether the labor council would back a Honda run, saying the former congressman hasn’t entered the race yet. But he outlined several complaints with Liccardo’s tenure — a lack of affordable housing and a rise in violent crime among them — and said he thought Honda would be in a position to address such issues.

“These are very pressing problems that we can’t wait to address,” Field said. “They’ve got to be addressed now.”

During a phone interview Thursday morning, Liccardo said he’s “fired up for a robust conversation with any candidate and the community I serve about how we can continue San Jose’s tremendous momentum and tackle the challenges ahead.”

Liccardo has already amassed a sizable campaign war chest that, as of December, sat at $545,000.

“I think we should be all part of a conversation,” Honda said, “about what is best for San Jose.”