Former Dublin mayor Melissa Hernandez has officially advanced to face state Senator Aisha Wahab in a special election to fill the state congress seat vacated by former Congressman Eric Swalwell, who resigned in April following allegations of sexual assault. A final vote to decide the outcome is set for Aug. 18.
The results went official on Thursday, reports KTVU, qualifying Hernandez to compete with fellow Democrat Aisha Wahab to finish Swalwell's term, which runs through January.
The battle to represent California's 14th District — which includes the East Bay cities of Fremont, Hayward, and Livermore — will take place in two phases. Following the Aug. 18 special general election to determine who fills Swalwell's current vacancy, Hernandez and Wahab will square off once more in a November runoff to represent CA-14 for an additional, full two-year term.
The contest will see Hernandez, known in the Bay Area for her tenure as Dublin's mayor and past role on BART's Board of Directors, compete with state Senator Aisha Wahab, who presently represents CA-10 and lives in Hayward. As the Sacramento Bee reports, the recent special election for Swalwell's seat saw Wahab advance first with 42.8% of the vote, followed by Hernandez with 16.8% and candidate Rakhi Israni Singh's 12.9% placing third.
In a statement to AP, Hernandez acknowledged she had work to do while remaining optimistic about her odds:
"I connect to voters, and that’s one thing that is definitely different than my opponent. We’re going to fight the good fight.”
Wahab, meanwhile, spoke with ABC 7 to emphasize her intention is not to "replace" Swalwell but to give CA-14 a representative who is "not necessarily working for any other reason but to make their lives better."
The pair represent the final candidates from a pool that initially featured 11 names all vying to fill Swalwell's seat.
Related: State Senator Aisha Wahab In Early Lead For Eric Swalwell’s Former Seat In 2027
Image: Candidate Melissa Hernandez via Melissa Hernandez for Congress/Facebook
