Wahab takes early lead in vote for Eric Swalwell’s replacement

State Sen. Aisha Wahab took an early lead Tuesday in the primary election to permanently replace former Rep. Eric Swalwell, who resigned from Congress amid sexual misconduct allegations. Early returns showed Wahab with 36.18% of the vote, followed by BART Board President Melissa Hernandez at 16.39%, in the first of two primaries this month for separate terms representing California's congressional district.

Getting your Trinity Audio //trinityaudio.ai player ready...FREMONT — State Sen. Aisha Wahab was leading Tuesday in a race that could be the first of four elections this year for two separate terms to replace former Rep. Eric Swalwel https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/04/24/democratic-plan-to-quickly-fill-swalwell-seat-collapses-setting-up-crowded-race/ l, who resigned from Congress https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/04/14/gov-gavin-newsom-calls-special-election-to-fill-eric-swalwells-seat/ and abandoned his gubernatorial campaign due to sexual misconduct allegations. “I’m shocked to say the least,” Wahab told this news organization shortly after early returns were first posted online Tuesday. “I’m just very proud of the district. I’m proud that they’re able to see the work that I do.” The June 2 primary was the first of two primaries https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/04/22/complicated-dem-plan-to-fill-swallwells-seat-in-special-election-risks-confusing-voters-expert-warns/ voters will face this month, with a special election primary scheduled on June 16. Voters in the June 2 primary chose between nine candidates seeking to permanently replace Swalwell for a full two-year term starting January 2027. The June 16 primary will be to decide which candidate among a separate pool of 11 hopefuls will fill the remainder of this year’s term. A candidate can get 50% plus one vote to outright win the primaries, otherwise the top two candidates in each primary will move on to two separate general elections — Aug. 18 for the partial term and Nov. 3 for the full term. Early returns Tuesday night showed Wahab in the lead with 36.18% of reported votes. She was followed by BART Board President Melissa Hernandez, with early returns showing she had 16.39% of the vote. “This vote shows that we’ve been able to work with so many people and our message makes sense to people. Good policy is good policy,” Wahab said. “I represent this district, I grew up in this district and I will continue to fight for this district, regardless of what the outcome is.” Other candidates in the race include small business owner Rakhi Israni, businesswoman Carin Elam, San Leandro Councilmember Victor Aguilar, Jr., graphic designer Matt Ortega, Republicans Dena Maldonado and Wendy Huang, and independent Suzanne Chenault. Several candidates in Tuesday’s primary, including Wahab, Israni, Hernandez, and Huang, are also running in the June 16 special election. But Wahab said, assuming Tuesday’s results held through the next two weeks, that the other candidates should step aside for the temporary term. “I think the voters spoke. We’re going to continue to monitor the results as they pour in,” Wahab said. “I think for the good of the nation, the other opponents need to back out. We have to listen to the voters.” Hernandez did not return a request for comment Tuesday night. Paulette “PJ” Serano, a 61-year-old Hayward resident, said she voted Tuesday night at the Fremont Main Library on Stevenson Boulevard. She said she voted for Wahab because she felt Wahab would “look out for the underdog.” “With all of the changes going on, this race is super important,” Serano told this news organization. She was joined by her daughter, Mackelle “Mack” Serano, a 32-year-old Fremont resident, who also voted for Wahab. Mackelle Serano said she helped her mother study the candidates and they both decided to choose Wahab because “she’s young, she’s progressive, she has a fresh take.” She said that, compared to the other candidates, Wahab presented “something new” to the office, and she liked the senator’s “energy” on the campaign trail. Wahab, the first Afghan-American Muslim woman elected to the state Senate, fielded attack ads from Israni and her supporters, a first-time Fremont politician and Indian American small business owner who added more than $1.2 million into her own campaign. Israni told this news organization Tuesday night that she felt “excited” with the results, and that “the process has been awesome, the enthusiasm is amazing across the board.” In the days leading up to the June 2 election, Israni turned up the heat with attack ads against Wahab. She criticized Wahab’s 2023 legislation, Senate Bill 403, titled the “Discrimination on the basis of ancestry” bill, a first-of-its-kind law which sought to ban caste discrimination in California. Although both the state Senate and Assembly passed the bill, it died after a veto from Gov. Gavin Newsom. Israni’s campaign texted voters, alleging that “Wahab has claimed that Indian Americans murder, rape, and traffic people – and that we need to be policed.” Israni said she decided to send those messages because, as one of the bill’s top opposers, she felt the Indian community was “left out” of discussions around it, and that the “emotions around the caste bill are definitely strong in the community.” While some of Israni’s attacks on Wahab may have resonated with some of her supporters, 28-year-old Sunol resident Harmony Sethi, an Indian-American voter, said she voted for Wahab particularly because of her previous anti-caste legislation. Sethi said Wahab “seems like she cares a lot for the people around her.” “I don’t think that anti-caste is an attack on Hinduism at all,” Sethi said. Earlier in election season, Sethi said she considered Israni’s campaign, but said she decided against supporting her after discovering her past political donations to MAGA-connected candidates such as Tusli Gabbard and Laura Loomer. “I just didn’t feel like we aligned,” Sethi said. Fremont resident Jonathon Mercado told this news organization he voted for Israni because “she had a really good, strong media presence and I feel like we aligned on a lot of issues.” Mercado, 34, said he moved to Fremont a year ago from Southern California to work temporarily, admitting that he wasn’t “up to date” on local political issues. He said Israni’s campaign stood out because “she had a better presence” online. He said he was not aware of Israni’s past donations, but added that “people change.” If he had known prior to election day though, he said, “I definitely would have reconsidered.” He also said he was unsure if he would still vote for Israni in the upcoming special election.