California
California 14th District Special Election Runoff
Candidates
Aisha Wahab (D)
California state senator from Silicon Valley and former Hayward council member; first Afghan American in the state legislature, running on housing affordability and working-family issues.
51,692 votes · 53.1%
Melissa Hernandez (D)
BART Board President and former Dublin mayor; the Tri-Valley's first Latina mayor, campaigning on transit, regional infrastructure, and local-government experience.
45,670 votes · 46.9%
Why this race matters
Special election to fill the East Bay's CA-14 seat after Rep. Eric Swalwell resigned in April 2026 following sexual-misconduct allegations that ended his gubernatorial bid. No candidate cleared 50% in the June 16 primary (Wahab 42.8%, Hernandez 16.8%), sending State Senator Aisha Wahab and BART Board President Melissa Hernandez to an August 18 runoff. Wahab won, becoming the first Afghan American in Congress and serving the remainder of Swalwell's term through January 2027. Vote totals are AP's count via NPR (100% of precincts).