Aisha Wahab, a California state senator, has moved ahead in the special election for California’s 14th Congressional District, leading the field of 11 candidates and positioning herself for an Aug. 18 runoff. Early results show Wahab with 45,380 votes, about 4
By early Wednesday morning, the race to replace former Rep. Eric Swalwell was beginning to sort itself out—especially in the top tier.
Democrat Aisha Wahab. a California state senator for the 10th district. has advanced in California’s 14th Congressional District special election to fill the vacancy left when Swalwell resigned from Congress earlier this year. multiple reports said. Early ballot results show Wahab leading a field of 11 candidates with 45. 380 votes. about 42.4%. based on figures from the California Secretary of State’s office.
The projections from major outlets point to Wahab moving to an August runoff election. The Associated Press, NBC and the Washington Post projected that she will advance to the Aug. 18 election.
Behind Wahab, two candidates are trailing as of early Wednesday morning. Democrat Melissa Hernandez, a member of the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board of Directors, has received 17,848 votes, or about 16.7%. Rakhi Israni Singh, an attorney and business owner, has 14,160 votes, or about 13.2%.
The two top vote-getters will advance to a special general election on Aug. 18.
For many Bay Area voters, this contest is not the first trip to the polls. The district’s special election follows the June 2 primary. when voters were choosing the two candidates they wanted to see face off for the seat. That new 14th Congressional District was created under Proposition 50, with the term set to begin in January 2027.
The June 16 special election decides who will serve the remaining six months of Swalwell’s former term as the region’s representative.
Swalwell’s resignation came after he faced multiple women’s accusations of sexual misconduct. He resigned from Congress in April following the allegations, which he denied. The controversy also ended his bid for California governor and closed out more than a decade in Congress.
In the June 2 primary election, Wahab and Hernandez emerged as the two top vote-getters, according to unofficial results from the California Secretary of State as of Tuesday, June 16. Wahab received 38.3% and Hernandez received 17.2%.
Nearly half of registered voters in the district are Democrats, according to figures reported by the California Secretary of State ahead of the June 2 primary election.
The sequence of early results—Wahab leading with 42.4%. followed by Hernandez at 16.7% and Singh at 13.2%—means the race is already narrowing toward the Aug. 18 face-off. With only the top two moving on. how the remaining candidates’ votes break could determine whether the runoff looks like a continuation of what voters started on June 2. or a sharp pivot shaped by the latest ballot.
Aisha Wahab Eric Swalwell California 14th Congressional District special election runoff election August 18 Melissa Hernandez Bay Area Rapid Transit Rakhi Israni Singh California Secretary of State Proposition 50