Special election for Swalwell’s open House seat heads to runoff

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The special election for former California Rep. Eric Swalwell’s (D) House seat is headed to a runoff, after no candidate in the race received a majority of the vote, DDHQ projected on Thursday evening.

California state Sen. Aisha Wahab (D) and Bay Area transportation official Melissa Hernandez (D) — the race’s top two candidates — will compete in a runoff on Aug. 18. The winner of this contest will represent California’s 14th Congressional District until the end of the year.

Wahab led the race with around 43 percent of the vote, while Hernandez garnered approximately 17 percent. Around 13 percent of voters backed Democratic candidate and lawyer Rakhi Israni Singh.

The two Democrats are also running against each other in the November election to occupy this seat for a full term, after they both qualified in the state’s primary election. Wahab received around 38 percent of the vote and Hernandez 17 percent in this contest, according to DDHQ.

Swalwell stepped down from his House position in April after allegations of sexual misconduct emerged against him. The Democrat also dropped out of California’s gubernatorial race, where he was considered the leading candidate. He has denied these allegations.

Wahab was the first Afghan American woman elected to public office in the country, and she is running on a platform of affordability and sustainability. In addition to her state senator role, she also serves as the assistant majority leader in California’s state legislature.

Hernandez, the former mayor of Dublin, California, is running on a platform of addressing rising housing costs in the state and immigration reform.

The Progressive Caucus PAC, which focuses on electing progressive candidates to Congress, has backed Wahab in the special election.

“Congratulations to @aishabbwahab on her continued momentum with a landslide 1st place finish in the #CA14 special primary!” the caucus wrote in a social media post on Wednesday. “We will continue to support Aisha as she runs on her record of accomplishments through the August runoff & can’t wait to serve alongside her in Congress!”

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