Wahab wins CA14 special primary election
Wahab, though, falls short of 50% majority, setting up Aug. 18 special election with likely Hernandez; Lee casts deciding vote to place strong-mayor charter measure on the fall ballot
☕️MORNING BUZZ
Vol. VI, No. 1,297
—State Sen. Aisha Wahab scored her second 14th Congressional District primary victory in as many weeks, winning Tuesday’s special primary in commanding fashion.
Wahab won the June 2 primary by more than 21 percentage points over BART Board Director Melissa Hernandez. After two updates on Tuesday night, Wahab’s margin in the special primary widened to nearly 26 percentage points.
Still, Wahab fell short of the simple majority needed to win the short-term seat outright.
Instead, she and likely Hernandez will advance to an Aug. 18 runoff to determine who will serve the remainder of former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s term.
The two will also face off in November to decide who will represent the district for the next full two-year term.
—Instant analysis
Wahab improved on her June 2 performance, adding roughly four percentage points in the special primary.
Hernandez and third-place finisher Rakhi Israni posted percentages largely in line with their June results.
Top Republicans Wendy Huang and Dena Maldonado underperformed after strong showings on June 2.
Republican candidates who appeared only on the special primary ballot likely siphoned votes away from Huang and Maldonado.
—GET THE 411 ON THE 510—
Become an East Bay Insiders subscriber today and get FULL ACCESS to the inside scoop every weekday morning at 6 a.m.
IT’S WHAT THE INSIDERS READ.
⊕MORE INSIDE
CITY NEWS: Lee Breaks tie to send strong-mayor charter measure to November ballot.
An AI data center proposed in Hayward moved forward without much City Council review.
San Leandro official proposes ban on new AI data centers.
Oakland Roots have their eye on a temporary stadium in Alameda.
COUNTY NEWS: Hiring in Alameda County government is improving, but 1-in-5 positions are still unfilled.
🎙️EAST BAY INSIDERS PODCAST
—Listen on Substack or download episodes at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
📺EAST BAY INSIDERS TV
