(DUBLIN, CA.) — June 4, 2026 — State Sen. Aisha Wahab finished well ahead of an eight-candidate field in the June 2 primary for California's 14th Congressional District, while former Dublin Mayor Melissa Hernandez held a razor-thin lead for the second and final spot on the November ballot as ballots continued to be counted this week.
As of Thursday morning, Wahab, a Democrat, led with 23,296 votes — about 34.3 percent. Hernandez, also a Democrat and the current BART Board president, sat in second with 10,933 votes, or roughly 16 percent. But her hold on that position was anything but secure: Republican Wendy Huang, a tech executive, trailed by fewer than 100 votes at 10,839, with fellow Republican Dena Maldonado close behind at 10,052.
Under California's top-two system, the two highest finishers advance to the Nov. 3 general election regardless of party. With second place separated by a margin smaller than a single precinct, that seat remained genuinely up for grabs, and election officials cautioned that a wave of mail-in ballots returned just before Election Day could take several days to fully tally.
A Seat Emptied by Scandal
The contest exists because of an abrupt vacancy. Swalwell, who had been mounting a campaign for governor rather than seeking reelection, ended that bid and resigned from Congress in April after multiple women came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct. He denied the accusations. His departure left the East Bay district — which covers a broad stretch of Alameda County, including the Tri-Valley — without representation in the House.
Nine candidates filed to succeed him: six Democrats, two Republicans, and one with no party preference, reflecting the district's strong Democratic lean and the scramble that follows any open seat.
The Local Angle
For Dublin and the wider Tri-Valley, Hernandez is the name to watch. She served as the city's mayor before joining the BART board, and she entered the race with a roster of regional endorsements that included U.S. Rep. Jim Costa of Fresno, the mayors of Dublin and San Leandro, and Alameda County Supervisors Nate Miley and Elisa Marquez. Her campaign has centered on cost-of-living pressures, housing affordability, and the price of childcare — themes that resonate in a region where median home prices and rents have climbed steadily.
Wahab, who represents the area in the state Senate, has built her pitch on similar ground, arguing that affordability is the defining issue for working families. She has called for expanding housing supply across income levels, boosting support for first-time homebuyers and renters, protecting Social Security and Medicare, and confronting the concentrated market power she blames for high prices.
Two Elections, Not One
Voters in the district should be prepared to vote again — soon. The June 2 primary determines who advances to the November general for the full two-year term beginning in January 2027. But a separate special election, set for June 16, will decide who serves out the remainder of Swalwell's current term in the 119th Congress. If no candidate wins an outright majority on June 16, a runoff between the top two finishers follows on Aug. 18.
In practical terms, that means the East Bay could see the same names on the ballot multiple times this summer, with the winner of the short-term special contest seated months before the general-election victor takes office.
The Bigger Picture
The CD14 race unfolded alongside congressional primaries across California reshaped by Proposition 50, the redistricting measure voters approved that is expected to redraw the state's political map and put several Republican-held seats in play. Down the ballot in Alameda County, outcomes in other closely watched contests — including Assembly District 16 and the 10th Congressional District — also remained unsettled as the count continued.
For now, the headline is straightforward: Wahab is the clear front-runner, and the fight for the second November slot is a near-tie that may not be resolved for days. OpGov will update results as Alameda County certifies additional ballots.
This is a developing story. Vote totals are unofficial and subject to change as counting continues.
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