CA-14: LGBTQ-backed Wahab advances in special East Bay House race
As expected, state Senator Aisha Wahab (D-Hayward) came in first place with a commanding lead in the special election June 16 for the East Bay’s 14th U.S. House District seat. But she fell short of capturing it outright so will now run again in the runoff race on August 18.
The contest is to serve out through the end of the year the remainder of the term vacated by disgraced Democratic former congressmember Eric Swalwell of Dublin. He abruptly resigned from Congress in April following two explosive news reports in which a former staffer accused him of sexual assault. He also ended at that time his gubernatorial bid.
Due to Swalwell’s decision to seek the governorship and not reelection to Congress, there already was underway a race for his open House seat this year. Wahab had entered it and was considered the frontrunner heading into the June 2 primary, in which she took first place with 38.3% to move on to the November 3 ballot.
According to the unofficial returns, Democratic former Dublin mayor Melissa Hernandez, now president of the board that oversees regional transit agency BART, secured the second spot on the fall ballot with 17% of the primary vote. The general election race will determine whether Wahab or Hernandez will represent the Alameda County congressional district through 2028.
https://www.ebar.com/story/167488/News/Politics/Political%20Notes%3A%20LGBTQ-backed%20Wahab%20advances%20in%20special%20East%20Bay%20House%20race