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Tri-Valley residents will be among those voting in the special primary election next week to select a candidate to complete the remainder of a term vacated by former Congressional District 14 Rep. Eric Swalwell’s amid sexual abuse allegations.
Those running in the election Tuesday (June 16) are Democrats Alisha Cordes, Melissa Hernandez, Sheriene Ridenour, Rakhi Israni Singh, Jot Thiara and Aisha Wahab, Republicans Wendy Huang, Dena Maldonado, Tom Wong and Jack Wu, as well as Victor Zevallos, who has listed no party preference.
If one of the candidates receives over half of the votes, the person wins the post outright. Otherwise, the top two vote-getters will progress to a special runoff election Aug. 18.
The 11 candidates are vying for the term lasting into January to represent areas including Livermore, Pleasanton, Castro Valley, Hayward, Union City and Fairview and parts of Dublin, Fremont, San Lorenzo, San Leandro and Mountain House.
The winner of the special election will be expected, like any other member of Congress, to sit in the legislative chambers, cast votes and give speeches, Las Positas College professor of political science Joanna Tice Jen told the Pleasanton Weekly.
Similar to other elections, Jen encouraged the public to vote in the special primary.
“Without doing so, you are allowing someone to represent you that may not represent you or doesn’t well represent our district,” Jen said of voting. “Even though it’s only for a short period of time, this is also a crucial period of time.”
Separate from the special primary, the general primary election ballot featured five overlapping candidates — Hernandez, Huang, Israni, Maldonado and Wahab. A full term starting in January 2027 is up for grabs in the general election for District 14 with shifted boundaries, given the redistricting under Proposition 50.
As of the latest reporting period Monday afternoon (June 8), Wahab is leading the race with 38.45% (56,684 votes) over Hernandez at 17.05% (25,140 votes), Huang at 13.20% (19,457 votes), Israni at 12.86% (18,954 votes), Maldonado at 12.18% (17,955 votes) and the four remaining candidates each pulling single-digit percentages. The top two candidates — currently poised to be fellow Democrats Wahab and Hernandez — will move onto the November general election.
Who’s vying in C14 special primary election?
Beginning in alphabetical order, Cordes is a business administrator and self-identified mother. Her campaign website was unavailable at the time of publication and she did not respond to requests for comment.
Hernandez is the current president of the BART Board of Directors and a former mayor of Dublin, making her the first Latina to hold either role. She is also the current health care director for the Alameda County District 1 Supervisor’s Office.
Hernandez told the Weekly that her top three priorities are lowering the cost of housing, healthcare and childcare.
“I believe my mainstream Democratic values and my ability to build relationships and deliver results, along with my continued focus on helping to lower costs, will resonate with voters,” Hernandez said in an email interview.
More information about Hernandez’s campaign is available at melissahernandez2026.com.
Across the aisle, Huang is a retired Silicon Valley technology executive, immigrant from Taiwan and mother.
Having lived in the East Bay for decades, Huang said she prioritizes public safety, cost of living relief and government accountability.
Huang said she aims to expand educational choice, increase parental authority and grant the federal government the power to authorize charter schools on eligible federal land.
“I also bring something no other candidate in this race does: real executive experience inside the technology industry,” she said.
More information on Huang’s campaign is available online at voteforwendy.com.
Next up, Israni is a nonprofit attorney, entrepreneur, educator, community leader and mother of four children.
“The vicious rhetoric in today’s politics drives problem-solvers out of public life — rewarding outrage over outcomes, and performance over progress,” Israni told the Weekly in an email interview.
In office, Israni said she prioritizes lowering the cost of living including healthcare and housing, improving the economy through well-paying jobs and “keeping our communities safe and healthy”.
Israni said she will deliver on her priorities through ethical and effective leadership.
More information about Israni’s platform is available on her campaign website at rakhiforcongress.com.
California-born and raised candidate, Maldonado is the owner of a small floral business and a former house cleaner.
Given her background, Maldonado said she understands the hard work it takes to survive. “I am not above anyone. I am the people,” she told the Weekly in an email interview.
She is running on a platform of bringing transparency to government funding, protecting second amendment rights, lowering the cost of living and limiting government.
“All of California is my home and I am willing to fight for everyone who allows me to listen Democrat or Republican. We need to come together like normal humans and work to finding balance,” she said.
During election season, Huang has alleged that fellow Republican Maldonado iss a “ghost candidate” meant to attract voters’ attention without genuine interest in the office. Maldonado rejected the accusation of being a ghost candidate, citing her work campaigning as evidence against Huang’s allegation.
More information about Maldonado’s platform is available on her campaign website at denamaldonado.com.
Making an appeal to voters, regardless of political affiliation, is senior administrative law judge Ridenour.
“I believe people are tired of political division and want leaders focused on solutions, accountability, and results,” Ridenour told the Weekly in an email interview.
She noted the rising cost of living and the sense that many people feel they are struggling to “get ahead” while also feeling disconnected from the decisions that impact their daily lives.
Ridenour said she aims to address the high cost of living, implement housing solutions that “increase accessibility while respecting the needs of local communities,” expand educational opportunities and workforce development programs as well as support small businesses and local economic growth.
Ridenour’s campaign website is ridenourforcongress.com.
Spanish professor and businessman Thiara did not have a campaign website at the time of publication nor did he respond to requests for comment as of Tuesday morning.
Next in the candidate lineup is Wahab, California state senator for District 10, which includes Hayward, Fremont, Milpitas, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara.
She supports lowering the cost of living, affordable housing and healthcare, strong public school and career pathways, small businesses, public safety, environmental justice as well as social justice and civil rights, according to her campaign website.
Wahab is the sole candidate to receive the Democratic Party’s endorsement in the race for a full term representing District 14.
Wahab did not respond to requests for comment as of Tuesday morning. More information about Wahab’s platform is on her campaign website, aishawahab.com.
On the other side of the aisle is Wong, the elected chairman of the Alameda County Republican Party.
Wong is also the CEO of an Alameda County-based news platform dubbed The Town Hall, where he has served at the helm since last April. He has also worked as a security management professional and firearm instructor.
In office, Wong said he prioritizes an “American First” agenda and aims to remove foreign influence from the government.
He aims to hold responsible individuals involved with Jeffrey Epstein, now-deceased financial mogul and child sex-offender charged with the sex trafficking of minors. Wong also intends to “dismantle the ATF to restore Second Amendment protections and eliminate unconstitutional federal overreach”, according to his website — referring to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
More information about Wong’s platform is available at his campaign website tomwongcd14.com.
Longtime Hayward resident Wu said he prioritizes the oversight of federal appropriations to “block wasteful spending” and legislation that would harm the East Bay.
Wu is an educator, having worked assignments across the region, as well as an employee in the “gig economy” and a volunteer, he told the Weekly.
As for the core pillars of his legislative platform, Wu said he backs trade, tourism and tranquility.
“By championing these priorities, we can ensure our economic engine thrives while maintaining safe, peaceful communities for everyone,” Wu told the Weekly in an email interview. His campaign website is available at www.jackwuforcongress.com.
The final candidate, corporate finance professional and father Zevallos, is running on a platform of independence from political parties, donors and career incentives.
He pointed to both Democrats and Republicans as to blame for rising debt, inflation, the widening wealth gap and unaffordable cost of living.
“My job would be simple: remind them who they work for,” Zevallos told the Weekly in an email interview. “That means voting independently, speaking honestly about the damage both parties have done, and refusing to play along with a system that keeps asking working families to pay the bill for bad decisions made in Washington.”
Information about Zevallos’ platform is available at his campaign website victorzevallos.com.
