California special election underway to fill former Rep. Eric Swalwell's seat in Congress

Voters in the San Francisco Bay Area are deciding who will fill the remainder of former Rep. Eric Swalwell's congressional seat in a special primary election on Tuesday. 

The highest-profile contenders in the special primary for California's 14th Congressional District are two Democrats, state Sen. Aisha Wahab and Bay Area Rapid Transit Director Melissa Hernandez. Among the Republicans in the race are real estate investor and former tech executive Wendy Huang and small business owner Dena Maldonado.

The district heavily favors Democrats and covers much of the East Bay, including parts of Dublin, Fremont, Hayward, and Livermore. 

If any candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, that candidate wins outright and serves the rest of the term through January 2027. If no candidate gets a majority, the top two finishers - regardless of party - advance to a runoff election on August 18, 2026.

Tuesday's special election is only to see who fills the remainder of Swalwell's current term, which expires in January 2027. In California's June 2 primary election for the next congressional term, Wahab and Hernandez finished first and second, respectively, and advanced to the November general election, guaranteeing the seat remains in Democratic hands. 

Swalwell resigned from Congress in April, days after ending his campaign for California governor, following multiple accusations of sexual misconduct that he has denied. 

Polls close at 8 p.m. in California.