As of Nov. 10, there remained just 7,000 ballots to be counted in the race for Santa Clara County Assessor, out of more than 460,000 votes.

The debate at the end of the first week after ballots were mailed to registered voters was combative but offered voters few real differences of opinion between the progressive Evan Low and the moderate Sam Liccardo.

The combination of the new early primary date, March 5, plus the prospect of the most hotly contested congressional primary in the Bay Area in decades boosts the likelihood of campaign war chests in the millions.