Race To Replace Eric Swalwell Undecided, House Race Still Not Called
A closely watched California election remained unresolved early Wednesday morning as two Democrats waited to learn who would immediately head to Washington.
The contest also represents another battle between the progressive and more moderate wings of the Democratic Party, with the eventual outcome carrying consequences beyond the current term.
Progressive California state Sen. Aisha Wahab and moderate Democrat Melissa Hernandez are battling to replace former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell in California’s 14th Congressional District after Tuesday’s special election remained too close to call.
Swalwell resigned from Congress in April amid sexual assault allegations from at least five women, leaving the heavily Democratic Bay Area district without its longtime representative.
Swalwell had also been campaigning for governor of California before dropping that bid following the allegations.
The former congressman has been a prominent national Democratic figure for years and became particularly well known for his frequent criticism of President Donald Trump.
Tuesday’s unusual contest will determine who serves the remainder of Swalwell’s congressional term while simultaneously setting up another election between the same two candidates in November.
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Wahab and Hernandez previously emerged as the top two candidates from a June 16 jungle primary for the 14th Congressional District.
California’s open-primary system allows candidates from all political parties to compete on the same ballot, with the two highest finishers advancing regardless of party affiliation.
Because both women advanced, voters in the heavily Democratic district were guaranteed to elect another Democrat to Swalwell’s former seat.
Wahab has served in the California state Senate since 2022 and has campaigned as a progressive with a platform that includes challenging Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Wahab has received support from Our Revolution, the political organization founded by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., as well as California Attorney General Rob Bonta and progressive Democratic Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Greg Casar.
Hernandez, president of the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board, has attempted to establish herself as the more moderate alternative in the contest.
The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Hernandez has described the nation’s immigration system as “broken” while calling for an approach that includes border enforcement.
Hernandez says she “supports smart border security and regional cooperation,” putting some ideological distance between herself and Wahab on an issue that has become increasingly divisive inside the Democratic Party.
She has also accumulated significant establishment support, receiving endorsements from nearly a dozen members of Congress.
The campaign took an unusual turn when Wahab’s father appeared to contradict one of his daughter’s signature political positions during an attack on Hernandez.
Despite Wahab campaigning as a fierce critic of ICE, her father reportedly wrote on Facebook that his daughter’s supporters should “call ICE” on Hernandez.
The remark was particularly notable given Hernandez’s background as the daughter of Mexican immigrants.
Wahab’s campaign subsequently apologized for the comment on its website.
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The California contest comes as Democrats around the country confront a series of primary fights between progressive candidates and more moderate or establishment-aligned members of the party.
But unlike many of those races, Tuesday’s election carries an immediate prize because the winner will not have to wait until January to take office.
Whoever ultimately prevails will fill Swalwell’s vacant seat for the remainder of his term and could quickly become the district’s newest member of Congress.
Then the two candidates will have to do it all over again.
Regardless of who wins the special election, Wahab and Hernandez are scheduled to face each other once more in November for the next full congressional term, Fox News reported.
For now, however, Swalwell’s former seat remains vacant as California election officials continue counting ballots and both Democrats wait for a winner to emerge.
