Fremont mom leads with campaign cash in Race to fill Swalwell's congressional seat

FREMONT, Calif. - In the Congressional race to win the East Bay's District 14 seat, voters should be watching their mailboxes for two ballots, one for the upcoming June 2 regular primary and another one for the June 16 special election. Former Congressman Eric Swalwell represented the area since 2013, but resigned abruptly after former staff made sexual assault allegations.

Two ballots being sent to voters 

"What we're going to do is make sure the voters know there are two ballots," Alamdea County interim Registrar Cynthia Cornejo said.

The district includes an area from Hayward to Pleasanton and Livermore, Union City, Castro Valley, and parts of Dublin and Fremont.

The Alameda County interim registrar says about 420,000 voters should receive two ballots.

What each election means and who is running

The first ballot for the regular June 2 primary, will list nine candidates on the ballot. The top two candidates will advance to the November general election.

The second ballot for the June 16 special election will list 11 candidates who filed paperwork before the Thursday deadline. The winner will fill the Congressional District 14 seat for the rest of the term until January.

"We sent 11 completed packets for candidates to the Secretary of State," Cornejo said. "This is just for the short term to fill the remaining term and then the June 2 is for the full term starting next year."

A proposal was suggested by some established Democrats such as Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren that the seat be filled quickly with an interim "placeholder' who would not run for the office. That idea, however, was not accepted by the candidates running in the race. 

Fremont mom and political novice take lead in campaign cash 

Already, there is a rush to raise money and reach voters. One surprising development is that Rakhi Israni, a Fremont mother of four, who is a political novice, has amassed the largest war chest, even surpassing Democratic Party favorite State Senator Aisha Wahab.

Wahab, who grew up in Fremont and served on the Hayward City Council, has raised about $252,000 and has collected major Democratic Party endorsements and labor unions' support. 

"Even the local clubs and district voters chatted with me and said how important, after the fallout with Swalwell, there is a woman who fills for this seat," Wahab said.

Wahab is facing a well-financed challenge, however, from another woman, Israni, a mother of four children. Israni has amassed a campaign war chest of more than $2 million, contributing more than $1 million of her own money.

Israni says she is running because she feels there is a need for a change in Congress.

"I have put my own money because I feel we need to course correct, but even if you take that out, that money, what has actually been raised more than the other candidates," Israni said.

If no one wins a majority of votes in the June 16 special primary, Conejo says that will lead to a third election in August. That runoff between the top two vote-getters would be to select a person to fill the seat through January 2027. The special elections cost about $6 million to run, according to Conejo.