Mad dash to replace Eric Swalwell as four top contenders throw their hats in the ring

California Democrats are scrambling to fill the state’s 14th Congressional District after disgraced Eric Swalwell — fighting off accusations of rape and sexual assault from multiple women — resigned from Congress Tuesday.

Almost immediately after his resignation, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered a special election for Aug. 18 to replace the married former congressman, whose political career came crashing down from the allegations that have also torpedoed Swalwell’s run for governor.

His resignation was too late for the June 2 primary, meaning the winner of the special election will have a short stint that expires in 2027.

At least four major candidates were already campaigning for the district, given Swalwell was looking to leave congress anyway for the governor’s seat. Now, those candidates must compete in June and August for both the stint and the full term afterward.

Whoever wins the special election, however, could have the advantage of incumbency for the general election.

Here are the four top contenders to replace Swalwell in Congress:

State Sen. Aisha Washab

Aisha Washab currently serves in the California Senate. According to her biography, she grew up in foster care after both parents died. Her adopted family faced economic hardship but she worked full-time in school to eventually graduate with a doctorate from the University of Southern California.

She worked a number of years in the information technology space, according to her LinkedIn, while becoming mayor pro tempore and city council member for the city of Hayward from 2018 to 2022.

Since 2022, as state senator, she’s chaired multiple committees at the statehouse. Wahab positions herself on the left as a disrupter against “powerful interest groups” and has expressed skepticism for the pro-housing construction “Yes In My Backyard” movement.

One of her more controversial legislative efforts: a bill to ban caste-based discrimination in California, which critics alleged would target Hindus and Indian Americans.

Former Mayor Melissa Hernandez

Melissa Hernandez was the mayor of Dublin from 2020 to 2024 and is a board director at the Bay Area Rapid Transit. She also serves as a top Alameda County legislative aide overseeing health and human services.

A Democrat, she vowed to “show up every day ready to work on the big issues, like the rising costs of living, including housing, childcare and healthcare.”

During her mayoral tenure, she focused on bringing businesses and housing into the city and increasing access to public transportation.

Matt Ortega

Matt Ortega, a Democrat, grew up in Hayward and now lives in San Leandro with his family. He immediately got into politics after graduating in 2006 from the University of Arizona, joining the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund’s independent expenditure campaign against Republican Rep. Richard Pombo.

He later worked for the Democratic National Committee and served in the party’s “Internet Department” to help elect Barack Obama to the presidency in 2008. He later served as digital director for a clean energy and climate coalition and then left to join a firm.

His priorities, he told the East Bay Times, are housing, health care, food security and taxing the wealthy. His campaign website positions him as an anti-Trump candidate.

City Council Member Victor Aguilar

Victor Aguilar serves on the San Leandro city council and has lived in the city with his husband since 2011. He previously worked for Los Angeles City Council Member Richard Alatorre.

Aguilar has extensive experience serving on the boards of organizations such as the San Leandro Unified School District Board and the Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District. He is affiliated with the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee.

According to his website, he wants to regulate artificial intelligence and fund universal health care. In addition to creating jobs, he also wants to prioritize efforts to stop immigrants from being deported.

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