Two candidates will face off Tuesday in a special election in Alameda County to fill the congressional seat vacated by Eric Swalwell.
State Sen. Aisha Wahab of Hayward and BART Board Director and former Dublin mayor Melissa Hernandez, both Democrats, are vying for the seat in a runoff after neither garnered 50% of the vote, plus one, in a June 16 special election. Wahab received 43% of the vote and Hernandez received 17%.
Tuesday’s winner will serve the remainder of Swalwell’s term, which ends in January. Then Wahab and Hernandez will face off again in a separate runoff on Nov. 3 for the next congressional two-year term after finishing as the top two candidates in the June 2 primary.
Swalwell resigned his congressional seat in April amid accusations of sexual assault. He has denied all allegations against him.
Swalwell had represented California’s 14th District in Congress since 2013. The district is in Alameda County and includes the cities of Hayward, Pleasanton, Livermore, Union City, Castro Valley, and parts of Dublin and Fremont.
Polls open Tuesday at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
