Aisha Wahab wins special election to serve out remainder of former Rep. Eric Swalwell
In a special election, Bay Area voters have chosen state Sen. Aisha Wahab to carry out the remainder of former Rep. Eric Swalwell's term, The Associated Press projects.
Wahab will represent California's 14th Congressional District until January 2027. New vote totals from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters indicate Wahab's lead over Bay Area Rapid Transit Director Melissa Hernandez has grown and is insurmountable with the remaining votes still needing to be counted.
The seat was left vacant after Swalwell resigned from Congress in April, following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct that he has denied.
The race to finish Swalwell's term attracted attention from outside groups, including some affiliated with the pro-Israel lobbying organization American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The AIPAC-backed super political action committee United Democracy Project spent $1.2 million this month in support of Hernandez and in opposition to Wahab, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Outside groups spent more than $4 million on the race since last month, with about $3.7 million going to Hernandez's campaign.
"I am very proud of this district looking at the millions of dollars of outside money pouring in with false rhetoric, false narratives, and false records, and seeing through it and voting for me," Wahab told CBS News Bay Area on Thursday.
Voters in Alameda County will have to vote for the same seat in November to decide who will carry out the next full term. The same candidates will be on the ballot.
Hernandez told CBS News Bay Area she likes her chances in the November rematch for a redrawn 14th District that includes 26,000 more voters.
"I will gain Dublin back, the city I was mayor in, seeing that I will be able to gain thousands more voters there," Hernandez said. "Our team has done an amazing job to be able to close a gap by 20 points. I think folks need to remember that."
Early voting and vote-by-mail begin on Oct. 5 for the general election. Election Day is Nov. 3.
Wahab was elected to the California Senate in 2022 representing the 10th District, which covers parts of the East Bay Area and Silicon Valley, including the cities of Hayward, Fremont, Milpitas, Sunnyvale, San Jose and Santa Clara.