Sara Jacobs

Sara Jacobs
Born	Sara Josephine Jacobs 1 2, 1989
Birthplace	San Diego, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician
Title	U.S. Representative for California's 51st congressional district
Known for	Youngest member of California's congressional delegation
Education	Columbia University (BA, MIA)
Website	[[sarajacobs.house.gov sarajacobs.house.gov] Official site]

Sara Josephine Jacobs (born February 1, 1989) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for California's 51st congressional district since 2023, having previously represented California's 53rd congressional district from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Jacobs represents a district encompassing central and eastern portions of San Diego, as well as eastern suburbs including El Cajon, La Mesa, Spring Valley, and Lemon Grove. She is the youngest member of California's congressional delegation and serves as the caucus leadership representative, making her the youngest member of the Democratic House leadership. Born and raised in San Diego into a prominent family with deep ties to the technology industry, Jacobs pursued a career in public policy and international development before entering electoral politics. Her first bid for Congress in 2018 was unsuccessful, but she won election to the House in 2020, succeeding longtime Representative Susan Davis. In Congress, Jacobs has focused on foreign affairs, child poverty, and issues affecting the San Diego–Tijuana border region. She serves as Ranking Member on the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee and has been active in the New Democrat Coalition.

Early Life

Sara Josephine Jacobs was born on February 1, 1989, in San Diego, California. She grew up in a prominent San Diego family with significant ties to the technology sector. Her grandfather is Irwin M. Jacobs, the co-founder of Qualcomm, the multinational semiconductor and telecommunications equipment company headquartered in San Diego. Her father, Gary E. Jacobs, is also involved in business and philanthropy, and her uncle, Paul E. Jacobs, served as chairman and CEO of Qualcomm.

Jacobs is Jewish. Growing up in San Diego, she was exposed to public policy issues from an early age, particularly those relating to the U.S.–Mexico border region that defines much of the area's political and economic landscape. Her family's wealth and prominence in the San Diego community would later become both an asset and a subject of scrutiny during her political campaigns.

Prior to entering electoral politics, Jacobs worked in international affairs and development. She worked at the U.S. State Department during the Obama administration and was involved in policy work related to conflict prevention and peacebuilding. She also worked at the United Nations on issues related to women, peace, and security.

Education

Jacobs attended Columbia University in New York City, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. She subsequently continued her studies at Columbia, earning a Master of International Affairs (MIA) from the university's School of International and Public Affairs. Her graduate studies focused on international affairs, a field that aligned with her subsequent career in the State Department and at the United Nations. Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs is one of the leading graduate programs in international relations and public policy in the United States, and Jacobs's training there provided a foundation for her later work in conflict prevention and foreign policy.

Career

Early Career in Public Policy

Before running for public office, Jacobs built a career in international affairs and public policy. She worked at the U.S. State Department during the Obama administration, where she was involved in policy work related to conflict prevention. She also worked with the United Nations on issues concerning women, peace, and security. Her professional background distinguished her from many first-time congressional candidates, as she brought experience in international diplomacy and development policy to the political arena.

In San Diego, Jacobs was involved in civic engagement and local policy efforts. In January 2020, she was part of a local coalition that formed to address child poverty in San Diego, reflecting an interest in domestic policy alongside her international experience.

2018 Congressional Campaign

Jacobs made her first bid for Congress in 2018, running in the primary election for California's 49th congressional district, which at the time was an open seat following the retirement of Republican Representative Darrell Issa. The race drew a crowded field of candidates from both parties under California's top-two primary system. Jacobs, who turned 29 during the campaign, ran on a platform emphasizing her experience in international affairs and her commitment to the San Diego region.

However, she was ultimately unsuccessful, conceding to Democrat Mike Levin in the primary race in June 2018. Levin went on to advance to the general election alongside a Republican opponent. Her candidacy attracted attention in part due to the financial support from her family, particularly her grandfather Irwin Jacobs, whose substantial contributions to her campaign and related political action committees drew scrutiny. The role of family wealth in her campaign became a recurring topic in media coverage.

2020 Congressional Campaign

Following her unsuccessful 2018 bid, Jacobs shifted her attention to California's 53rd congressional district, which encompassed much of central San Diego. In September 2019, she announced her candidacy for the 53rd district seat, which was being vacated by longtime Democratic Representative Susan Davis, who announced her retirement.

The 2020 primary featured several Democratic candidates, as the district was considered safely Democratic. In the March 2020 primary, Jacobs advanced to the November general election alongside Georgette Gómez, then the president of the San Diego City Council, in a runoff. The general election contest between Jacobs and Gómez represented an intra-party matchup between two Democrats, with Jacobs positioning herself as a moderate pragmatist with foreign policy experience and Gómez running as a more progressive candidate.

During the campaign, Jacobs participated in interviews and candidate forums, discussing her positions on a range of issues including healthcare, climate change, and border policy. The issue of family wealth and campaign spending again surfaced during the race, with Jacobs's grandfather Irwin Jacobs providing significant financial support to her campaign effort.

Jacobs won the November 2020 general election, becoming, at age 31, the youngest member of California's congressional delegation. Upon her victory, she stated her intention to bring "a new voice" to the Capitol, emphasizing her background in international affairs and her generational perspective.

Tenure in Congress

Jacobs took office on January 3, 2021, succeeding Susan Davis as the representative for California's 53rd congressional district. Following redistricting after the 2020 census, her district was renumbered as California's 51st congressional district beginning with the 2022 election cycle. She has represented the 51st district since January 2023.

In Congress, Jacobs has been active on foreign affairs. She serves as Ranking Member on a subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, a position reflecting her pre-congressional experience in international policy. In November 2025, she joined with Representative Gregory Meeks, the Ranking Member of the full House Foreign Affairs Committee, to condemn threats of aid cuts and military action against Nigeria made by the Trump administration. That same month, she was among a group of representatives, including Jamie Raskin, Jerrold Nadler, and Dan Goldman, who urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to abandon plans to demolish homes and a community center in a West Bank village.

Jacobs has also been engaged on issues affecting the San Diego–Tijuana border region. In December 2025, she joined Representatives Scott Peters, Juan Vargas, and Mike Levin, along with U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, in urging the Trump administration to use an ongoing trade deal to pursue long-term solutions to the transboundary sewage crisis affecting communities on both sides of the border. The transboundary sewage problem, stemming from infrastructure failures in Tijuana that send untreated wastewater into the Pacific Ocean and across the international border, has been a persistent environmental and public health concern for San Diego communities, and Jacobs has made it a recurring legislative priority.

On LGBTQ+ rights, Jacobs has been a member of the Congressional Equality Caucus. In February 2026, she was among 106 members of Congress who demanded that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services abandon proposed rules that critics characterized as restricting healthcare access for transgender individuals.

Jacobs has been a member of the New Democrat Coalition, a caucus of moderate-to-center-left Democratic members of the House. In October 2025, she served as a guest host for Episode 19 of the coalition's podcast, The Fly-In, alongside co-host Representative Marc Veasey.

In October 2025, during a prolonged government shutdown, Jacobs spoke publicly about the impact of the shutdown on federal workers and government services, telling NBC 7 San Diego that "we are not in normal times" and criticizing the House for being out of session for nearly a month during the crisis. In December 2025, she reflected on her accomplishments and legislative efforts over the course of the year in an interview with NBC 7 San Diego.

In February 2026, Jacobs publicly criticized the Department of Justice under Attorney General Pam Bondi, accusing the department of engaging in a coverup related to the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Her rise within the Democratic caucus has been notable for its speed. As caucus leadership representative, she became the youngest member of the Democratic House leadership, a position that has given her a platform to influence party strategy and messaging.

Personal Life

Jacobs is a lifelong resident of San Diego. She is Jewish. Her partner is Ammar Campa-Najjar, who himself ran for Congress in California's 50th congressional district. Her family has deep roots in San Diego's business and philanthropic communities. Her grandfather, Irwin M. Jacobs, co-founded Qualcomm, which grew into one of the largest technology companies in the world and remains a major employer in San Diego. Her father, Gary E. Jacobs, and uncle, Paul E. Jacobs, have also been involved in business and civic affairs in the region.

The Jacobs family's financial support of Sara Jacobs's campaigns has been a subject of public discussion. During both her 2018 and 2020 campaigns, contributions from family members, particularly her grandfather, constituted a significant portion of her campaign funding, which drew attention from media outlets and political commentators.

Recognition

Jacobs's election in 2020 was noted for several milestones. At age 31, she became the youngest member of California's congressional delegation upon taking office in January 2021. She was one of ten Jewish Democrats identified by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency as first-time congressional candidates in the 2020 election cycle.

Her selection as caucus leadership representative placed her in a position of leadership within the Democratic caucus at a younger age than is typical, earning her recognition as the youngest member of the Democratic House leadership. This role has afforded her greater visibility within the party and in national media coverage of congressional politics.

In San Diego, she has been covered regularly by local media outlets including NBC 7 San Diego and the San Diego Union-Tribune for her work on regional issues such as the transboundary sewage crisis and the impact of federal government shutdowns on San Diego's large population of federal employees and military personnel.