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Former Dublin mayor and current BART Board President Melissa Hernandez improved her runner-up position in the Congressional District 14 regular primary election with the latest results update announced by county officials Friday.
While State Sen. Aisha Wahab (D-Fremont) continues to sit comfortably in first place in the nine-candidate field, the race for the second spot in the November runoff remains one of the tighter contests in Alameda County.
Hernandez, also a Democrat, increased her lead for second place – which stood at just 94 votes on Election Night – up to nearly 1,800 votes over top Republican candidate Wendy Huang. Hernandez recorded 15,374 votes (16.62%) to Huang’s 13,580 votes (14.68%), according to the new totals announced around 4 p.m. Friday by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters’ Office.
Projecting confidence in the trend she’s seen in the tallies, Hernandez is already looking toward the general election.
“I am honored by the trust of the voters. This outcome is exactly what I expected in this crowded primary election and is a testament to my supporters, who have made this victory possible,” she said in a statement Sunday.
“The November general election will be a fundamentally different election,” Hernandez added. “That election will be about building a broad coalition of support, and I’m well-positioned in this head-to-head dynamic. 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.”
Wahab, who earned the California Democratic Party endorsement among her key supporters, has tallied 33,959 votes (36.72%) for an easy first-place finish.
“I’m incredibly grateful to every voter, volunteer, supporter, and community member who made this possible,” Wahab said in a statement on Election Night.
“Tonight, voters sent a clear message: this election cannot be bought. Our campaign earned more than double the votes of our opponents because people are ready for leadership rooted in community, not special interests,” she added. “This campaign has always been about the people of this district — families facing rising costs, renters fighting to stay in their homes, workers who deserve dignity, and everyone who believes government should work for them.”
The rest of the District 14 field sees Republican Dena Maldonado in fourth at 12,616 votes (13.64%), Democrat Rakhi Israni Singh at 10,709 votes (11.58%), San Leandro City Councilmember Victor Aguilar Jr., who did not actively campaign, at 2,177 votes (2.35%), Democrat Matt Ortega at 1,624 votes (1.76%), Democrat Carin Elam at 1,356 votes (1.47%) and Suzanne Chenault with no party preference at 1,088 votes (1.18%).
On the morning of the election, Huang – a Republican out of Union City with no prior elected experience – accused Maldonado of being a “ghost candidate” with a largely inactive campaign to draw GOP voters’ attention inauthentically.
While still questioning Maldonado’s candidacy on Monday, Huang told the Pleasanton Weekly that she is watching the results updates closely and considers the contest within reach.
“The race for second place is still being decided, and I am not conceding anything until every ballot is counted,” Huang said. “The latest update shows a gap of approximately 1,800 votes between me and second place — with mail ballots still being processed across Alameda County. We have seen these numbers move with every update, and I fully expect that to continue.”Â
“I am proud of what this campaign achieved against significant odds,” she added. “A first-generation immigrant from Taiwan, a political outsider with no party machine behind her, earned over 13,500 votes from Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, and Independents who believe this district deserves accountable leadership. That coalition is real, and it is not going away.”
Ortega, a San Ramon Valley High School alumnus who now lives with his family in San Leandro, emailed a concession statement late Sunday night that included an endorsement of Wahab.
“This campaign launched six months ago because the status quo is irreparably broken,” Ortega said. “This broken status quo is an existential threat to our children’s future — the direct result of politicians too compromised to act boldly. Tuesday’s results did not change the stakes. They confirmed them.”
“The choice is clear. There is only one candidate with the values, the tenacity, and the breadth of vision to shape the future my sons and your children stand to inherit — and that is Sen. Aisha Wahab,” he said, following with a rebuke of Hernandez.
“Hand-picked by the same Washington establishment that continues to fail us, Melissa Hernandez is unprepared for the national stage. And that’s why wealthy interests flooded the district with over $1.5 million to boost her,” Ortega added. “With her history of selling us out, they know what they’re getting. She will deliver for them — not for you. She was never meant to.”
Alameda County election officials expect the next numbers release to come on Monday (June 8), with a final announcement scheduled for next Friday (June 12). They say they have an estimated 125,463 unprocessed ballots left after processing 244,535 ballots through Friday afternoon. Nearly 77,000 ballots were tabulated between Wednesday and Friday, they said.
The top two finishers will advance to the Nov. 3 general election to decide the next full term for Congressional District 14, which includes the southern Tri-Valley out west toward Fremont, Hayward and other communities. This is the seat that was already known to be wide open when then-Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Livermore) launched a campaign for governor in lieu of running for Congress again.
Wahab, Hernandez, Huang, Israni and others are also among the 11 candidates on the ballot for the Congressional District 14 special primary election next Tuesday (June 16) to determine who will complete the unexpired term into January 2027 vacated when Swalwell resigned amid a sex abuse scandal that emerged in April.
Unlike the regular election, the top candidate in the special primary could win the seat outright with more than 50% of the vote – otherwise a runoff is set for August.
