special election – U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading Democratic candidate for California governor who resigned after sexual assault allegations he denied, is no longer in Congress. Voters in California’s 14th Congressional District will choose a replacement on Tuesday, June 16,
Eric Swalwell’s name won’t be on the ballot when California voters head to the polls on Tuesday, June 16. Two weeks after state Democrats staged a gubernatorial primary that once made him an early frontrunner. the state now faces a different kind of test: who will fill the U.S. House seat he left behind.
Swalwell, a California Democrat, resigned from Congress in April after several women accused him of sexual assault. He denied the allegations as “absolutely false.” The controversy ended his bid for governor and abruptly ended more than a decade in Congress.
The special election is for California’s 14th Congressional District. in Alameda County and part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It follows a June 2 primary in which voters narrowed the field of candidates for a two-year term. That election also came with a major complication: district lines across California shifted under new congressional maps adopted through Proposition 50. passed by voters.
This June 16 election is meant to fill the remainder of the vacant term. With nearly a dozen candidates running, the contest has drawn Democratic contenders Aisha Wahab and Melissa Hernandez, among others.
Wahab and Hernandez led in the June 2 primary, according to unofficial results from the California Secretary of State as of Monday, June 15. Wahab received 38.3% and Hernandez received 17.2%, placing them at the top of the vote totals for the district in that initial round.
How the June 16 vote ends may depend on one simple outcome: if one candidate wins the majority of votes, no special general election will be held, according to the California Secretary of State. If no candidate reaches that threshold, a special general election is scheduled for Aug. 18.
The numbers show the district’s partisan tilt heading into the contest. Nearly half of registered voters in the district are Democrats, based on figures reported by the California Secretary of State ahead of the June 2 primary election.
For voters watching the aftermath of Swalwell’s resignation. the calendar now turns quickly from statewide politics back to a local decision—one that will determine who holds power in Washington for the balance of the term. Whether it happens on June 16 or drags into an Aug. 18 runoff, the contest is already underway in a district still absorbing the impact of new maps under Proposition 50.
Eric Swalwell special election California 14th Congressional District Alameda County June 16 Kristy Kilburn Eric Swalwell denies allegations Proposition 50 Aisha Wahab Melissa Hernandez California Secretary of State U.S. House seat
Wait so his name isn’t even on the ballot? Crazy how fast things move.
I don’t get the whole majority/no majority thing. Like so they just pick again if nobody hits 50%? Seems rigged to me even if it’s not.
Proposition 50 is the real villain here. They redrew the lines and now Wahab/whatever has an advantage. This is why local politics always feels like a setup.
I heard Swalwell resigned so he could dodge something? But the article says he denied it, so who knows. Either way, it’s weird that the district maps changed and then they’re acting like it’s just a normal election. Also June 16 and Aug 18 like what, why not just make it one day.