Vol. VI, No. 1,289🗓️8 days to CA14 Special Primary 🗓️147 days to November Election
—CA14: Aisha Wahab scored a decisive victory in the 14th Congressional District primary race to succeed former Rep. Eric Swalwell, holding a 20-point lead over the second-place finisher after Alameda County updated election results Friday afternoon.
(Another Alameda County results update is scheduled for later today, followed by an additional update Friday.)
Wahab overcame a crowded field that included a self-funded Democrat who raised $2.1 million, including $1.4 million of her own money, and Melissa Hernandez, whose campaign was backed by many of the political donors and supporters who helped fuel Swalwell’s rise in East Bay politics.
The result puts Wahab in a strong, though not guaranteed, position heading into next week’s special primary election on June 16. With 10 candidates on the ballot, Wahab still has a chance to win the remainder of Swalwell’s term outright if she captures a majority of the vote and avoids an August runoff.
For Hernandez, the path forward becomes more difficult. Her campaign reported just $59,000 cash on hand as of May 27, meaning a potential November campaign would likely require rebuilding its fundraising operation from scratch.
The result could also prompt moderate Democratic groups and outside organizations, including AIPAC-aligned committees that invested heavily in the race, to reassess whether further spending is warranted after Hernandez received just 16.6 percent of the vote and trailed Wahab by 20 points.
—SD10: In the East Bay’s other marquee contest, Scott Sakakihara turned what many expected to be a competitive primary into a convincing victory in the race to replace Wahab in the 10th State Senate District.
Sakakihara advanced to the general election against Republican Linda Price, a matchup that positions him as the overwhelming favorite in a district dominated by Democratic voters across Alameda and Santa Clara counties.
The former Palantir employee invested $1 million of his own money into the campaign. The gamble paid off. Not only did Sakakihara finish first in the primary, but he also avoided facing another Democrat in November, significantly reducing the need for additional fundraising.
The outcome also creates an open seat on the Union City City Council this November. Sakakihara would have otherwise been seeking re-election to his council seat.
—Oakland: Meanwhile, Oakland voters may be signaling a broader resistance to new taxes after more than a decade of routinely approving revenue-generating measures.
Opposition to Measure E, Oakland’s $192 annual parcel tax, expanded to 55.4 percent following Friday’s Alameda County Registrar of Voters update.
The measure required only a simple majority—50 percent plus one vote—to pass because it qualified for the ballot through a citizen-led initiative funded largely by Oakland city employee unions.
Despite a well-funded campaign supporting the measure, Measure E faltered in the closing weeks of the election as national and state Realtor organizations, along with local real estate interests, poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into opposition efforts.
The result may reflect growing voter unease about rising household costs, from gas to groceries, and reluctance to approve additional taxes.
Measure E was projected to generate approximately $35 million annually for city services. The defeat leaves Oakland leaders facing difficult budget decisions as Mayor Barbara Lee and the City Council enter budget season amid ongoing fiscal challenges.
Labor unions and city workers argued the new revenue would help prevent layoffs and service reductions. With the measure now headed toward defeat, Oakland officials must identify alternative solutions to close the gap, though what a viable Plan B looks like remains uncertain.
🗳️Alameda County Ballot Overview
Total ballots counted: 244,535
Unprocessed ballots: 125,463
Ballots to be cured: 1,789
Estimated total turnout: 38%
*As of Friday afternoon.
COUNTY NEWS: Miley, Haubert again blast Wahab’s transparency bill, say they will sue the state if signed into law.
County poll using discretionary funding moves forward, but some supervisors expressed uncertainty about its intent.
ELECTION 2026: Updated Alameda County, state, and federal primary election results.
—EPISODE 134—The votes are in, and the June Primary election results are already reshaping East Bay politics.
—This week, Steve Tavares, Trishala Vinnakota, and Justin Berton break down the surprising defeat of Oakland’s Measure E parcel tax, the outcomes of revenue measures in Hayward and Castro Valley, and what the results could mean for future tax and bond proposals across Alameda County.
—In congressional politics, Aisha Wahab emerged as the clear frontrunner in the crowded 14th Congressional District race.
—We also analyzes Scott Sakakihara’s strong performance in the 10th State Senate District contest.
—And the latest developments in the Alameda County District Attorney race between Ursula Jones Dickson and Pamela Price, and what California voters signaled in the governor’s race.
—Listen on Substack or download episodes at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
