Wahab Remains Ahead in Race for Swalwell's U.S. House Seat
AIPAC-backed spending and party infighting have tightened the race, with Wahab leading Hernandez by 2 points as 62% of votes were counted.
- On Wednesday, August 19, 2026, California's 14th District special election remained too close to call, with state Senator Aisha Wahab leading former Dublin Mayor Melissa Hernandez 51% to 49% as 62% of votes were counted.
- Former Congressman Eric Swalwell's resignation in April triggered a race that became a bitter proxy fight between the Democratic Party's progressive and moderate wings after the June 16 primary advanced both candidates.
- Super PACs tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee spent more than $4.4 million to support Hernandez as part of a $6 million total outside spending campaign in the race's final weeks.
- Representative Zoe Lofgren, chair of the state's Democratic congressional delegation, endorsed Hernandez, citing concerns about Wahab's fitness for service after the senator allegedly asked "What's in it for me?" when asked to defer.
- Both candidates will face off again on November 3 to determine who serves the full two-year term, with Wahab signaling she was already focused on the general election ahead.
50 Articles
50 Articles
Wahab has narrow lead over Hernandez in race for remainder of former Rep. Eric Swalwell's term
By CBS Bay Area State Sen. Aisha Wahab has a narrow lead over BART director Melissa Hernandez, a day after San Francisco Bay Area voters cast their ballots for 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 pr…
Wahab holds narrow lead over AIPAC-backed Hernandez in East Bay congressional runoff
Aisha Wahab, a progressive state senator from California, held a narrow lead on Wednesday over Melissa Hernandez, a moderate former local mayor, in the special election runoff for an East Bay House seat that drew a late surge of outside spending from AIPAC. With 62% of the vote counted in Tuesday’s election, Wahab had 51%, leading Hernandez, at 49%, by just two points or 1,356 votes, according to the unofficial initial returns. The preliminary f…
VINnews
Jewish News SyndicateAnti-Israel Dem leads AIPAC endorsee by 1,350 votes in California special runoff to finish Swalwell term
(JNS) – With about 62% of votes counted in the special runoff election to complete the term of former congressman Eric Swalwell, Aisha Wahab, an anti-Israel state senator, led Melissa Hernandez by about 1,350 votes. Wahab, who has accused Israel of “genocide,” had 33,399 votes (51%) to 32,043 (49%) for Hernandez, a former mayor of […]
Humpday Headlines: East Bay Congressional Race Looking Close
The AIPAC attack ads appear to have narrowed Aisha Wahab's lead in the race to replace Eric Swalwell; a 27-year-old man was arrested for an unprovoked attack on an elderly man in Guerneville; and two people were stabbed in a road-rage incident in San Jose.
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