California voters decide who will fill remainder of former Rep. Eric Swalwell's term in 14th District
San Francisco Bay Area voters will decide on Tuesday who will carry out the remainder of former Rep. Eric Swalwell's congressional term in California's 14th Congressional District.
Voters in the heavily Democratic district advanced two Democrats, state Sen. Aisha Wahab and Bay Area Rapid Transit Director Melissa Hernandez, in the June 16 primary special election. With no candidate receiving more than 50% of the vote, Wahab advanced with 42%, along with Hernandez, who received 16%, to Tuesday's special general election.
Election Day voting begins at 7 a.m. and ends at 8 p.m. Tuesday. Early voting and vote by mail began on July 20.
The race between the two Democrats has been highly contentious, with Hernandez more than doubling Wahab's fundraising and spending early in the campaign. As of the end of July, the two were on roughly even footing in terms of cash in the bank.
The race has also attracted the attention of several outside groups, including some affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a powerful pro-Israel lobbying organization. United Democracy Project, a super political action committee backed by AIPAC, spent $1.2 million on the race in August in support of Hernandez and in opposition to Wahab, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Another group, Bold America, which has received funding from United Democracy Project, has spent about $1.7 million on the race since the special primary, also in support of Hernandez and in opposition to Wahab.
Collectively, outside groups have spent about $4.1 million on the race since mid-July. About $3.7 million was spent to benefit Hernandez's campaign, compared with just shy of $400,000 to benefit Wahab's.
The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran also became a topic in the race, after Rep. Zoe Lofgren tied Wahab's refusal to quickly fill Swalwell's seat with the House of Representatives' failure to pass the War Powers Act.
In a video released Monday, Lofgren said Wahab, when asked to rally around a single candidate and avoid a long vacancy, told Lofgren and staff, "What's in it for me?" Lofgren said Wahab's words made her question Wahab's "fitness for service" as the House of Representatives was working to pass the War Powers Act, which Lofgren said later failed to pass by a single vote.
Lofgren referred to Hernandez as a "solid candidate."
In a statement to CBS News Bay Area, Wahab said, "This district is vacant for one reason: Eric Swalwell's heinous actions. As a state Senator and candidate for Congress, my sole focus is fighting every day for California's working families, for affordable housing, and against Trump's MAGA extremists in the White House."
"AIPAC and my opponent's supporters are resorting to lies, desperate personal attacks, and racist dog whistles that question my patriotism on the eve of this election. I am the only candidate in this race with the trust of voters in this district, and I'm grateful to be endorsed by the California Democratic Party, the California Federation of Labor, and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC," Wahab said.
The candidates are seeking to fill the remainder of Swalwell's term, which ends in January 2027. Swalwell resigned from Congress in April after multiple allegations of sexual assault, allegations that also led to ending his campaign for governor of California. Swalwell had denied the accusations but also acknowledged "mistakes in judgment I've made in my past."
Residents of the 14th District will also vote for the same seat in the November general election for the next congressional term, which will also be between Hernandez and Wahab, who finished in the top two with less than 50% in the June primary. The Alameda County district includes the cities of Hayward, Livermore, Pleasanton and Union City.
