Trust the process

Swalwell ramps up interest for Alameda County DA, candidates begin maneuvering for his seat; DA Price orchestrates grand exit on her final day, her replacements line up; Hayward, Pleasanton, 'Dro news

Rep. Eric Swalwell at a press conference last October in Hayward to announce his support of the recall of Alameda County DA Pamela Price.

COUNTY NEWS

—POWER VACUUM—Rep. Eric Swalwell’s interest in becoming Alameda County district attorney is so loud that chatter is already building about who might seek his seat in the 14th Congressional District, which includes the Tri-Valley, Fremont, Hayward, and Union City.

—If Swalwell leaves for the DAs office, the clear early frontrunner for the 14th District is state Sen. Aisha Wahab. She briefly had designs on the seat in 2019 when Swalwell ran for president.

—Wahab dropped those plans when Swalwell ended his bid for the Oval Office in July 2019, just three months after it started.

—Assemblymember Liz Ortega is also interested in Swalwell’s seat, according to several insiders. Ortega, who is about to finish her first term representing Hayward’s 20th Assembly District, does not live in the 14th Congressional District.

—While there is no requirement that a congressional candidate must live in the district they hope to represent, being labeled a carpetbagger is a potent criticism.

—The same issue pertains to other potential candidates, such as Assemblymembers Rebecca Bauer-Kahan and Alex Lee, although each, like Ortega, currently represent portions of the 14th District.

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