State Sen. Aisha Wahab leads the California 14th Congressional District special election field against Melissa Hernandez after finishing first in both the June 2 regular primary and the special primary. Voters in the Bay Area district are choosing a new member of Congress after the April resignation of Democrat Eric Swalwell. Wahab and Hernandez will meet again in November for a full two-year term election.
Aisha Wahab and Melissa Hernandez
Wahab took 38% in the June 2 regular primary for the term beginning next year, more than 20 points ahead of Hernandez. Two weeks later, she received 43% in the special primary, while Hernandez got 17%. No candidate won a majority in that vote, sending the top two into Tuesday's special election.
Bay Area outside spending
Outside groups have spent about $4.1 million since mid-July, and roughly $3.7 million of that has supported Hernandez or opposed Wahab. Much of the money came from groups aligned with AIPAC. Hernandez has raised and spent considerably more than Wahab, while Wahab criticized the influx of outside money into the race.
Public safety emerged as one of the major issues in the closing weeks, and Hernandez and allied groups attacked Wahab's record in the state Legislature. The November election will use California's new congressional map, though the changes to District 14 are minor. The race has also been described as the latest battleground in the ideological fight over the future of the Democratic Party.
November full two-year term election
The immediate result is a runoff between two candidates who have already faced voters twice in the same year. For readers in the Bay Area, the practical split is clear: Tuesday decides the seat for the current cycle, and November sets the full two-year term.
