India Tribune Newsdesk

Chicago: California State Senator Aisha Wahab has emerged as the frontrunner in the special election to fill the vacant congressional seat in California’s 14th Congressional District, but she has not yet secured the majority needed to win outright.

According to unofficial results released by Alameda County election officials, Wahab received 45,380 votes, representing 42.4 percent of ballots cast. Because California election law requires a candidate to receive more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff, the race is expected to continue unless additional counted ballots change the outcome before certification on June 25.

The special election was called after former Congressman Eric Swalwell resigned from office in April. Swalwell, who represented the district since 2013, stepped down amid allegations of sexual assault, which he has denied.

Wahab, a Democrat representing California’s 10th State Senate District since 2022, has built a strong political profile through years of community service and local leadership. Before joining the State Senate, she served on the Hayward City Council and as mayor pro tempore. She has also been active with several community organizations, including the Afghan Coalition and Tri-City Volunteers.

Currently in second place is Melissa Hernandez with 17,848 votes, or 16.7 percent, while Indian-origin attorney and business owner Rakhi Israni Singh follows with 14,160 votes, or 13.2 percent.

If no candidate achieves a majority, the top two finishers will advance to an August 18 runoff election. The winner will serve the remainder of the current congressional term through January. With separate regular-election contests also underway, voters in the district could be asked to cast ballots multiple times this year before finally choosing their long-term representative in Congress.