CA Congressional District 14 race second phase: Who will serve until January?
CA Congressional District 14 race: Democrat v. Democrat? or Republican?
The race to fill the vacant seat for Congressional District 14 in the Eat Bay is continuing, with votes for the June 2 primary being counted, as the next June 16th Special Election ballots are coming in as well.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Filling the vacant California Congressional District 14 seat is proving to be an unexpected political drama that has unfolded in a compressed campaign timeline, after incumbent Eric Swalwell resigned in April following allegations of sexual misconduct.
The rare Bay Area Congressional vacancy led to a June 2 primary between nine candidates, with six Democrats, two Republicans, and one ‘No Party Preference’ candidate running.
Early results
What we know:
State Senator Aisha Wahab has emerged as an early frontrunner, with more than 35% of the vote, according to the Alameda County Registrar.
The battle for the second spot is still uncertain, though, with Democrat and former Dublin Mayor Melissa Hernandez leading by less than 100 votes over Republican Wendy Huang.
"This was exactly what we expected. We knew that the Democrats were holding onto their ballots. They were really wanting to make sure they knew who they wanted to vote for, so a lot of this has played out because of what's happened in the governor's race," Hernandez said.
The race now enters phase two with a Special Election set for June 16, to decide who will fill the seat through the end of Swalwell's term in January.
The candidates say they plan to continue campaigning hard.
Candidates' reactions
What they're saying:
"I'm continuing to campaign because, for voters that weren't sure, I want to make sure I earn their vote and let them know I heard many of their voices," Republican candidate Wendy Huang said, emphasizing her proposal to form a national Department of Tech that could coordinate a U.S. response to many social and economic issues.
That June 16 election has 11 candidates on the ballot, including 5 candidates who also ran in the June 2 primary: Melissa Hernandez (D), Wendy Huang (R), Dena Maldonado (R), and Rakhi Israni Singh (D) and Aisha Wahab (D).
Sheriff's deputies headed out Wednesday to collect early voting ballots from more than 30 drop boxes.
"Our voters deserve a representative that they vote for, not someone DC picks as a puppet. This district, especially with everything that has gone on with the Swalwell implosion, deserves somebody that can start a new chapter for them," Wahab said.
Special election June 16 difference from June 2 primary
What's next:
One big difference from the June 2 primary, is that the June 16 Special Election is based on the old District 14 map which reaches north to San Leandro and excludes part of Dublin, compared to the new map passed by Prop 50.
Voting centers are preparing to reopen Saturday, June 6 at some locations.