California’s 14th District votes Tuesday to fill Swalwell’s seat

Voters in California’s 14th Congressional District head to the polls Tuesday to choose a successor to former U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, who resigned four months ago amid sexual assault allegations that also ended his gubernatorial campaign. Swalwell has denied the allegations.

The special election features two Democrats — state Sen. Aisha Wahab and Bay Area Rapid Transit Board President Melissa Hernandez — meaning the seat is guaranteed to remain in Democratic hands. That outcome will further shrink the already narrow Republican majority in the U.S. House.

Wahab and Hernandez advanced from a June 16 special primary, where the top two finishers, regardless of party, moved on. Wahab finished first in both that contest and the June 2 primary for the full-term seat, leading Hernandez by more than 20 percentage points in each. The two will face off again in November for a full term starting in January 2027, under slightly redrawn district lines.

Hernandez has out-raised and out-spent Wahab by more than double, though by late July the two had roughly equal cash on hand. Outside groups have poured about $4.1 million into the race since mid-July, with nearly $3.7 million backing Hernandez and just under $400,000 supporting Wahab. Major spenders include the United Democracy Project, an AIPAC-affiliated super PAC, and Bold America, which has received funding from that group.

The district’s boundaries were redrawn under Proposition 50, a 2025 ballot measure that created a new congressional map for the state. The current district, entirely within Alameda County, includes Hayward, Livermore, Pleasanton, Union City, and parts of San Leandro, Fremont, and Dublin. Democrats make up about 50% of registered voters in both the current and new versions, while Republicans account for roughly 17%.

Polls close at 8 p.m. PT (11 p.m. ET). As of Wednesday, about 52,000 ballots had already been cast, with Democrats accounting for roughly 32,500 of them. In the June special primary, nearly 124,000 ballots were cast, and about 98% came via mail or absentee.

Alameda County typically releases mail-in results first on election night, with a significant number of ballots still to be counted the next morning. There are no automatic recounts in California; any voter may request and pay for one. A winner will be declared only when no scenario allows a trailing candidate to catch up.