Sara Jacobs

Sara Josephine Jacobs (born February 1, 1989) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for CA's 51st congressional district, previously representing the 53rd congressional district from 2021 to 2023.

Her district includes central and eastern portions of San Diego, as well as eastern suburbs such as El Cajon, La Mesa, Spring Valley, and Lemon Grove.

A member of the Democratic Party, she is the youngest member of California's congressional delegation.

She is the Caucus Leadership Representative, making her the youngest member of the Democratic House leadership.

Jacobs was born in Del Mar, California, on February 1, 1989, and raised in San Diego.

She is the granddaughter of businessman and Qualcomm founder Irwin M. Jacobs, and the daughter of Jerri-Ann and philanthropist Gary E. Jacobs.

Her uncle, Paul E. Jacobs, was the former CEO and chairman of Qualcomm.

Jacobs voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.

On the one-year anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, Jacobs wrote an op-ed for MSNBC.com calling for passage of the My Body, My Data Act, which would create a national standard to protect reproductive and sexual health data.

Jacobs calls climate change "one of the biggest threats facing humanity".

She wants a zero-carbon, clean energy economy by 2030.

In 2022, Jacobs said she supported Nancy Pelosi remaining Democratic leader within the House.

Jacobs supports Medicare for All.

Jacobs called the Trump administration's response to COVID-19 "horribly mishandled".

She wants to hold businesses and individuals accountable for price gouging related to personal protective equipment and health care supplies during the pandemic.

Jacobs graduated from Torrey Pines High School and Columbia University, earning a bachelor's degree in political science in 2011 and a master's degree in international relations in 2012.

After earning her master's degree, Jacobs worked for the United Nations and UNICEF.

For the 118th Congress:

In February 2014, she began working as a contractor to the United States Department of State.

During her later congressional campaign, Jacobs drew attention for falsely claiming to have been a "policymaker" at the State Department.

Jacobs did not make policy for the State Department, instead working at a junior level for a contractor, not for the Department itself.

She then served as a policy advisor on Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.

After the election, Jacobs formed a nonprofit called San Diego for Every Child: The Coalition to End Child Poverty.

Jacobs ran as a Democrat in the 2018 elections for the United States House of Representatives in CA's 49th congressional district.

In the blanket primary election, she finished third, behind Diane Harkey and Mike Levin.

A Super PAC affiliated with EMILY's List launched a media blitz right before the primary after Jacobs's grandfather donated $250,000 to the organization.

This led primary opponents to accuse her of "buying" endorsements.

In 2020, Jacobs ran in CA's 53rd congressional district.

She finished first in the top-two primary, and defeated San Diego City Council President Georgette Gómez in the November general election.

She became the youngest United States Representative from California when she assumed office on January 3, 2021.

During her political campaigns, Jacobs has received significant funding from her grandfather.

According to OpenSecrets, Jacobs was the 5th most self-funded candidate in the 2020 United States elections.

She financed $6,921,255 to her campaign, constituting 90.32% of total campaign contributions.

Following redistricting from the 2020 United States census, Jacobs ran in California's 51st congressional district.

In 2022, Jacobs authored legislation to regulate the collection of personal reproductive health data, as in period-tracking apps.

Mazie Hirono and Ron Wyden introduced a version in the U.S. Senate.

Along with 16 other members of Congress, Jacobs was arrested at a demonstration in support of abortion rights outside the United States Supreme Court Building on July 19, 2022.

In 2022, Jacobs introduced a bill to rename the Andrew Jackson Post Office in Rolando after her predecessor Susan A. Davis.

Signed into law on December 27, 2022, a ceremony to install a new plaque with Davis' name was held on July 7, 2023.

The Andrew Jackson signage remains on the front of the building.