RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Voters will decide between two Democratic candidates in a special general election to serve out the remaining term of former California U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, who resigned from Congress after sexual assault and misconduct allegations.
State Sen. Aisha Wahab and Melissa Hernandez, a Bay Area Rapid Transit director, received the most votes during the June primary to move on to Tuesday’s special general election.
Whoever wins the special election will fill Swalwell’s seat through January. At that time, the winner of the regular general election in November will take over for a full, two-year term. In this case, that will also be Wahab or Hernandez, who snagged the top two spots in the regular primary that was held on June 2, similarly locking out Republican challengers.
That means both candidates are running in two separate elections for California’s 14th Congressional District, which includes East Bay cities such as Fremont, Hayward and Livermore.
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What’s at stake in the race for California’s 14th Congressional District?
Whoever wins the special election in August will likely get a boost of visibility and a few months of experience in Congress that they can tout during the November general election campaign.
Wahab is an established presence in California politics as the Senate’s assistant majority leader. She has campaigned on a more progressive platform and has detailed her track record in public office.
That includes expanding social safety net programs and renter protections, promoting social justice issues and pledging to support small businesses by cutting bureaucratic hurdles.
Hernandez, who was the former mayor of the East Bay city of Dublin, has highlighted similar goals while emphasizing a business-friendly approach. For lowering costs, Hernandez said she would “prioritize growing small businesses” and promote incentives to build housing. She also would push to lower health insurance premiums by restoring insurance subsidies.
Why did Eric Swalwell resign from Congress?
One of them will replace Swalwell after he served for seven terms before resigning in April and dropping his bid for California governor. That was prompted by a San Francisco Chronicle report of allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman twice, including when she worked for him.
CNN later reported that other women accused him of sending inappropriate messages and nude photos.
Swalwell, a Democrat, has repeatedly denied the accusations but said it would be unfair to his constituents to remain in Congress.
Congressional District 14 candidates make final pitch
Hernandez’s campaign has accused Wahab of weakening crime penalties and blocking public safety bills. Wahab said that’s false and has cited endorsements, including California police chiefs and California Peace Officers’ Association.
The candidates have also clashed over comments allegedly posted by Wahab’s adoptive father, calling for Hernandez to be deported. The post read, in part, “we don’t want a congresswoman from Mexico send it back there.”
“I’m a proud daughter of farmworkers, the folks that provide food to your table,” Hernandez said in a recent interview with NBC Bay Area. “But also the fact that it took her four days to condemn those comments.”
Wahab condemned the post as racist, saying her father is in his 70s, in declining health and had previously had his social media compromised. She said, when asked about the post, her father was unaware of it.
Meanwhile, Wahab has raised questions about Hernandez’s campaign funding and her record on child welfare.
“She has been completely silent on the fact that her office has been accused of bribery and corruption as well as the fact that, as she calls herself the director of healthcare services in Alameda County, California Department of Social Services has threatened to take over the Department of Children and Family Services,” Wahab said.
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