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State Sen. Aisha Wahab, D-Hayward, advanced in Tuesday’s special election race to finish former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s term in Congress, which ends in January. The race is expected to go to an August runoff.
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Who Wahab will face in the runoff has yet to be decided, with Democrat Melissa Hernandez in the lead for second place. Hernandez is competing with Rakhi Israni, who is also a Democrat. Hernandez and Israni have garnered 16.7% and 13.2% of the counted vote, respectively.
The Associated Press called the race for Wahab Tuesday night, having received 42.4% of the vote counted. So far approximately 82% of ballots have been counted in the district, according to the AP.
The runoff is scheduled for Aug. 18, unless Wahab’s lead grows to more than 50% of the vote and she wins outright.
The special election’s winner will finish Swalwell’s term as the representative for California’s 14th Congressional District, which covers most of Alameda County, including Hayward, Pleasanton and Livermore. The former U.S. representative resigned following allegations of sexual assault and misconduct that he has denied. His current term ends in January.
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The race for the 14th Congressional District beyond January has already been decided by the June 2 primary, according to the Associated Press. Wahab and Hernandez will face-off in November’s general election for the district. In the primary, Wahab garnered 38.3% of the vote with Hernandez earning 17.2%.
Wahab is a California State Senator representing Senate District 10, despite Republican-backed efforts to recall her in 2023. She lives in Hayward with her family and previously served on the Hayward City Council. Her priorities include strengthening consumer protections and expanding services and protections for families, including paid family leave and universal childcare, according to her campaign website.
Hernandez previously served as the mayor of Dublin and was a board director for Bay Area Rapid Transit. Currently, she is the healthcare services director for the Alameda County supervisor, according to her campaign website. She lives in Dublin with her family.
Israni is the founder of Excel Test Prep, Inc., a Fremont-based education company. She is focused on lowering costs for families and increasing accountability and transparency in government. Israni holds an MBA and is a police academy graduate, although she has not worked in law enforcement.
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