Sen. Aisha Wahab speaks to the crowd gathered during the Ramadan Iftar on Monday, April 10, 2023, at the state Capitol in downtown Sacramento.
Sara Nevis
snevis@sacbee.com
State Sen. Aisha Wahab, D-Hayward, held a slim lead over fellow Democrat Melissa Hernandez in the early results of the special election runoff to finish former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s term in Congress.
Wahab had about 51% of the vote, compared to Hernandez’s 49% as of 10 p.m. Tuesday night. The Associated Press estimated that 62% of votes in California 14th Congressional district — which spans most of Alameda County, including Hayward, Pleasanton and Livermore — had been accounted for thus far.
The winner of the runoff will serve until January, taking over for Swalwell who resigned earlier this year following allegations of sexual assault and misconduct that he has denied. Wahab and Hernandez will also face off in the November general election for who represents the seat for a full term.
Wahab had been viewed as the favorite for the seat, though in recent weeks outside groups — including some with ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee — have spent millions of dollars largely to oppose her. AIPAC has flooded money to congressional races across the country this year.
The 14th District race became even more contentious this week after Rep. Zoe Lofgren, chair of California’s Democratic congressional delegation, released a video outlining her support of Hernandez. In the video, Lofgren alleged that Wahab refused to back a delegation plan that would have assured a candidate won more than 50% of the vote in the June primary and thus filled Swalwell’s seat immediately.
Wahab is a progressive Democratic senator representing state Senate District 10, which spans parts of Alameda and Santa Clara counties. Hernandez, a moderate Democrat, is the former mayor of Dublin who sits on the Bay Area Rapid Transit board.
The two Democrats emerged as the finalists for the both races from the June primary. In both, Wahab led Hernandez by a more than 20 percentage points.
This story was originally published August 18, 2026 at 8:54 PM.
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Mathew Miranda is a political reporter for The Sacramento Bee’s Capitol Bureau, covering how decisions in Washington, D.C., affect the lives of Californians. He is a proud son of Salvadoran immigrants and earned degrees from Chico State and UC Berkeley.