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3h ago

Bay Area Voters Choose Successor to Eric Swalwell in Special Election

The outcome will fill the seat for the remainder of the term and set up a November rematch that will be held under a slightly redrawn district map.

Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly, speaks during a town hall meeting, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, in Leesburg, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, right, greets constituents at a National Night Out community event as she campaigns in Florida's 20th congressional district, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, in Plantation, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
An American flag stands outside the office of California's 14th Congressional District in the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Tallulah Brown Van Zee)
FILE - Alaska U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola, a Democrat, speaks during a campaign rally on May 14, 2026, in Juneau, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, file)

Overview

  • Voters cast ballots Tuesday in California’s 14th Congressional District with about 52,000 ballots already returned before Election Day, setting the stage for results driven largely by mail votes.
  • State Sen. Aisha Wahab and BART board president Melissa Hernandez are the two Democrats on the ballot so the seat will remain in Democratic hands and the winner will serve through Jan. 3 while also appearing on the November ballot.
  • Wahab led both June primaries by more than 20 points but Hernandez has raised and spent more, and outside groups have poured roughly $4.1 million into the special race largely in Hernandez’s favor.
  • The district’s heavy reliance on absentee voting — about 98% of ballots in the June special primary were mail ballots — means early returns and county mail‑ballot tallies will shape when a clear winner emerges.
  • The contest has drawn national attention and legal scrutiny because pro‑Israel linked super PACs and other outside groups have heavily funded one candidate which raises fresh questions about outside influence in local races even though the seat’s partisan balance will not change.