Aisha Wahab advances in California special election for Eric Swalwell's House seat

Aisha Wahab advanced to the Aug. 18 special general election in California's 14th Congressional District, moving closer to filling the remainder of Eric Swalwell's House term after the June 16 special-election primary.

Initial vote counts showed Wahab leading the field with 42.5% of the vote. Melissa Hernandez was in second with 16.7%, while Rakhi Israni was third with 13.2%, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The margin between Hernandez and Israni was about 3,700 votes, leaving the second runoff berth dependent on the final certified count.

The race uses a top-two special-election format, meaning the two highest vote-getters advance regardless of party. AP also reported that Wahab advanced to the Aug. 18 runoff to fill the rest of Swalwell's term.

Why the seat is open

The seat became vacant after Eric Swalwell's resignation from Congress took effect on April 14, 2026. The winner of the special election will serve the remainder of the current term through January.

Wahab, a California state senator, had already finished first in the district's June 2 primary for the full-term House race. That means she is on two parallel tracks: the special election to fill the vacant seat now, and the regular November contest for the next full term.

What comes next

The remaining question from Tuesday's vote is who officially finishes second and joins Wahab in the August runoff. County certification will settle the final ordering if the gap remains close.

The district covers East Bay cities including Fremont, Hayward, Dublin, Pleasanton and Livermore. It is heavily Democratic, so the August race is expected to carry significance both for the balance of the vacant seat and for the broader November contest.

Swalwell resigned after allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denies.