Who's In the Race

Two Democrats are competing to represent California's 14th District as Aisha Wahab faces Melissa Hernandez in the November 3 general election. In California's 14th District, the nonpartisan top-two race lets the two highest vote-getters in the June primary advance, regardless of party. The top Republican primary finisher, Wendy Huang, received about 13% of the vote, just behind Hernandez's 17%, leaving no Republican on the general-election ballot. ​

Wahab is a California State Senator representing the 10th District, elected in 2022, who also serves as Assistant Majority Leader; she previously served on the Hayward City Council and as Mayor Pro Tempore. She led the June 2 nonpartisan primary with about 38% of the vote, with Hernandez finishing second at about 17%.

Hernandez served on the Dublin City Council for eight years and as mayor for four years before being elected to the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Board of Directors in November 2024, representing District 5. Hernandez finished second in the nonpartisan June 2 primary behind Aisha Wahab.

What They Stand For

Wahab has proposed banning junk fees nationwide and challenging corporate price gouging, according to her campaign website. She's also supported building housing at all income levels, expanding homeownership paths and strengthening renter protections, including a ban on Wall Street purchases of single-family homes, lowering healthcare costs by capping out-of-pocket expenses, ending surprise billing and reducing prescription prices, protecting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP and veterans' benefits, and clean-energy and grid investment alongside stronger pollution enforcement and wildfire and extreme-heat preparedness.

Hernandez has proposed lowering housing, healthcare, and childcare costs, according to her campaign website. She's also supported increasing housing supply and construction incentives, reducing building costs and helping first-time buyers with down payments and home loans, resources and training for police and emergency responders alongside accountability, mental-health crisis response, addiction treatment and action against organized retail theft and fentanyl trafficking, expanding the Child Tax Credit, better pay for childcare workers and paid family and medical leave, and a pathway to citizenship for DREAMers and undocumented residents, smart border security and restoring the Inflation Reduction Act's climate provisions.

The Money Behind the Race

Through Sept. 7, Hernandez had raised about $1.99 million and had about $81,000 in the bank, while Wahab had raised about $874,000 and had about $233,000 on hand — nearly three times as much cash as Hernandez despite raising less than half as much overall, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

Outside groups have spent about $3.83 million supporting Hernandez, with Bold America the largest backer at about $1.84 million and United Democracy Project (UDP) adding about $825,000; those same two groups have spent about $2.25 million opposing Wahab, with UDP leading at about $1.64 million and Bold America contributing about $611,000.

Outside groups have spent about $1.39 million supporting Wahab, including about $684,000 from the Committee for Working Families, Sponsored by Labor Organizations, and about $361,000 from the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC. In all, outside spending in the race has reached about $8 million, nearly 2.8 times the roughly $2.87 million the two candidates raised combined.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Betting Markets

Cook Political Report rated the race Solid Democratic as of Oct. 9; Sabato's Crystal Ball rated it Solid Democratic as of Oct. 11; and Inside Elections rated it Solid Democratic as of Oct. 2. On Kalshi, traders gave Democrats a 97.96% chance of winning the seat as of Sept. 5.

The district has voted heavily Democratic in recent cycles: Eric Swalwell won with about 69% in 2022 and about 68% in 2024. Democrats won 43 of California's 52 U.S. House seats in 2024, while Republicans won 9. Kamala Harris carried California in the 2024 presidential election with about 58% of the vote.

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