{"id":7241,"date":"2026-08-19T18:42:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T18:42:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7241"},"modified":"2026-08-19T18:42:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T18:42:25","slug":"wahab-takes-early-lead-in-congressional-district-14-race-to-fill-swalwells-term","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7241","title":{"rendered":"Wahab takes early lead in Congressional District 14 race to fill Swalwell\u2019s term"},"content":{"rendered":"

Early returns Tuesday in the Congressional District 14 race to fill former Rep. Eric Swalwell\u2019s term showed state Sen. Aisha Wahab with a slight lead over BART Board President Melissa Hernandez.<\/p>

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As of Tuesday night, Wahab was in the lead with 51.04% of the vote, with Hernandez at 48.96%. The final results could give the winner a powerful advantage when the two meet again in November.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are going to win. We won tonight. The margin will only grow,\u201d Wahab told her supporters at a watch party at the Hayward Firefighters Local 1909 Union Hall. \u201cAnd we are going to work hard to ensure that victory is still in our hands in November.\u201d<\/p>\n

With more votes left to count, the winner of Tuesday\u2019s special runoff will take office ahead of a Nov. 3 rematch between the two Democrats for the full two-year term. The registrar\u2019s office is expected to provide updated election results on Friday. Mail-in voting for the special runoff began July 20.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis race is too close to call,\u201d Hernandez said during a watch party Tuesday night in Pleasanton at Elia, a Greek restaurant. \u201cEight weeks ago, many folks didn\u2019t think we were going to be this close, so I want to thank all of my supporters, thank my team. Right now Alameda County has not counted all of the ballots, so there\u2019s still thousands of ballots left to count.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tuesday was the third of four elections for the seat, following two June primaries that set Wahab and Hernandez ahead of a crowded field of candidates. In the June 16 special election, Wahab secured about 43% of the vote, while Hernandez took nearly 17%. In the June 2 primary to fill the full term starting next year, Wahab received about 38% of the vote to Hernandez\u2019s 17%.<\/p>\n

Congressional District 14 spans parts of South Alameda County into the Tri-Valley, including parts of Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Dublin and Pleasanton.<\/p>\n

Swalwell resigned from office and abandoned a gubernatorial campaign earlier this year after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct. He has denied the allegations.<\/p>

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The embattled former East Bay congressman also found himself in the middle of another scandal this week after the White House Transparency Task Force released records showing Swalwell admitted he previously had physical relations with Christine Fang, a suspected Chinese spy also known as Fang Fang.<\/p>\n