It's a traditional Democratic stronghold but appears ripe to become a prime Republican feeding ground.
It's no wonder then, that with 14 months until the presidential election, Silicon Valley remains largely uncommitted, if downright ambivalent, about which candidate to support.
Gore or Bush? McCain or Bradley? The candidates are going hard after the nation's most sought-after donor pool. And the pool remains largely untapped.
As the crux of the nation's high technology industry, Santa Clara County -- which encompasses most of Silicon Valley -- is home to a nouveau riche conspicuous in its wealth, with a reputation for supporting entrepreneurship and deregulation, both Republican sacred cows. As a result, many political experts believe the Valley may be ready to undergo a shift in loyalties.
On the other hand, registered Democrats still outnumber Republicans by more than 100,000 -- and in the 1996 election, President Clinton outpolled Republican challenger Bob Dole by nearly 2-1 in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.
But the wild card may be Silicon Valley's determined independence combined with a general disinterest in politics, insiders say.
Judging from the legions of nocturnal 23-year-olds who drive Porsches by day and program by night, the Silicon Valley voter appears to be an unpredictable breed.
The Valley's core of underage geniuses, nerdy CEOs, and schmoozy venture capitalists are too busy being visionaries to devote themselves to politics, some say.
"Establishment politics is not what the Valley is about," said E. Floyd Kvamme, a partner at powerful venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caulfield and Byers, who claimed in a recent letter to The Wall Street Journal that there was "no Republican establishment" in Silicon Valley.
"The Valley is so into the individual, that's the thing that drives it," he said. "The notion of people belonging to this or to that party will be less important than who the specific candidates are."
