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<\/a><\/p>\nPublished On 18 Aug 202618 Aug 2026<\/p>\n
Voters in a swath of the US state of California\u2019s Bay Area are heading to the polls Tuesday to determine which Democrat will replace former Representative Eric Swalwell<\/a> to represent the state\u2019s 14th Congressional District.<\/p>\n State Senator Aisha Wahab and local transit official Melissa Hernandez are facing off in a race that has become increasingly expensive and combative.<\/p>\n Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list<\/p>\n Wahab and Hernandez both advanced to Tuesday\u2019s special election after they garnered roughly 38 and 17 percent support, respectively, during a nonpartisan primary held in June. Under California\u2019s unique \u201cjungle primary\u201d system, the two candidates with the most votes advance if neither receives more than 50 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n Swalwell, who spent more than a decade in Congress before mounting a run for California governor earlier this year, resigned in April following multiple allegations of sexual assault, which he has denied.<\/p>\n When do the polls open and close?<\/p>\n Polls are open for voters from 7am to 8pm local time\u00a0 (14:00 Tuesday \u2013 02:00 Wednesday GMT).<\/p>\n Why has this become a tense race?<\/p>\n Once considered the inevitable successor, Wahab has contended against a flood of outside money. Super PACs, including some affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), have spent millions of dollars on advertisements to sink Wahab\u2019s candidacy and boost Hernandez in the final weeks of the race. One such AIPAC-affiliated group, the United Democracy Project, spent $1.2m on the race in August in support of Hernandez and in opposition to Wahab, according to Federal Election Commission records. Another group spent $1.7m on the race.<\/p>\n Collectively, outside groups have spent about $4.1m on the race since mid-July. About $3.7m was spent to benefit Hernandez\u2019s campaign, compared with just shy of $400,000 to benefit Wahab\u2019s.<\/p>\n Wahab, an Afghan American who is the first Muslim woman elected to California\u2019s state Senate, has called out Israel\u2019s genocidal war in Gaza<\/a>\u00a0and pushed legislation condemning<\/a> alleged human rights abuses against Palestinians and captives held by Hamas.<\/p>\n Hernandez\u2019s campaign is attacking Wahab<\/a> for her legislative record on criminal penalties.<\/p>\n