Democratic state Sen. Aisha Wahab, D-Hayward, won Tuesday’s runoff to fill the rest of Eric Swalwell’s East Bay congressional term, but by a much narrower margin than in June’s special election.
Wahab faced fellow Democrat Melissa Hernandez, BART Board president, in the runoff for the remainder of Swalwell’s term, which ends in January, for California’s 14th Congressional District.
Wahab garnered 51,610 votes, or 53.09%, and Hernandez 45,598, or 46.91%, according to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters on Thursday.
“This victory belongs to the voters who made it clear that our district cannot be bought. Through one of the ugliest, most expensive elections we’ve ever seen, we never took the bait or went negative,” Wahab said in a statement Thursday. “We stayed focused on the people, and I will fight for this district that raised me. From foster care to Congress, this journey shows the possibility of the American Dream.”
Swalwell resigned from his congressional seat in April amid accusations of sexual assault. He has denied all allegations against him.
Neither candidate garnered a majority in the June 16 special election, where Wahab received 43% of the vote and Hernandez 17%, leading to Tuesday’s runoff.
The county Registrar of Voters said more results from Tuesday’s election will be released again on Aug. 26 and Aug. 28.
Wahab and Hernandez will face off again in November in a separate contest for the next two-year term to represent District 14, which includes the cities of Hayward, Pleasanton, Livermore, Union City and Castro Valley, as well as parts of Dublin and Fremont.
Hernandez issued a statement Thursday night, saying she isn’t giving up.
“I’ve been a fighter my whole life, and when I promised the residents of CA-14 I would fight for them, I never gave up. In just 63 days, we closed a gap from 26,000 votes to 6,000 votes by sharing our message of lowering housing costs, creating jobs, and supporting strong public safety.”