What to know about California’s special election to replace Eric Swalwell

What the report says

Voters in California’s Bay Area are voting in a special election to fill the 14th Congressional District seat left open after former Representative Eric Swalwell resigned in April. The contest pits Democratic State Sen. Aisha Wahab against local transit official Melissa Hernandez, after both advanced from a June nonpartisan primary under California’s “jungle primary” rules. The winner will finish the remainder of Swalwell’s term, which runs until January, and the two candidates will meet again in November for the full term.

According to Al Jazeera, the race has become notably more expensive and contentious in recent weeks. Outside groups have spent roughly $4.1 million since mid-July, with most of that money backing Hernandez and opposing Wahab. Some of that spending is tied to groups associated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Wahab said she intends to file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission over what she described as coordinated online interference. Separately, a report cited by Al Jazeera says a Hernandez supporter filed a complaint alleging an improper in-kind contribution to Wahab from the local Democratic Party.

The article says the district was redrawn under Proposition 50, a 2025 ballot measure approved by California voters. While the new map affects the district’s boundaries for the full-term seat next year, the special election is being held under the current lines. More broadly, the race is being watched as one test of how outside spending and Gaza-related politics may shape Democratic contests ahead of the November midterms.