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Candidates are now inked on the ballot for the Congressional District 14 special primary election, with nearly a dozen contenders aiming to fill the remainder of the term vacated when Eric Swalwell resigned amid sexual abuse allegations.
The official lineup confirmed late last week includes 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; and Victor Zevallos, who has listed no party preference.
Candidates who qualified for the ballot will face off June 16 during the special primary election. If one receives over 50% of the votes during the special primary, the person automatically wins the seat. Otherwise, the top two candidates will progress to a special runoff election Aug. 18.
The victor is poised to finish the term ending during January 2027 for Congressional District 14, representing areas including Livermore, Pleasanton, Castro Valley, Hayward, Union City and Fairview and parts of Dublin, Fremont, San Lorenzo, San Leandro and Mountain House.
To qualify for the ballot, hopefuls were required to filed their candidacy papers by April 23.
Those who pulled papers for the race but ultimately did not qualify include former state senator Steve Glazer, Republican Ozel Kirkland and Democrat Harinder Lamba.
Another shakeup since the Pleasanton Weekly took stock of the unofficial candidates list on Monday was the addition of Ridenour and Zevallos to the race.
Independent of the special election, Congressional District 14 is up for grabs for a full term from January 2027 to January 2029. There is an overlap in candidates, as some of those seeking the short-term seat are also aiming for the full-term post.
The double-time hopefuls include the majority of nine candidates running in the regular primary election:Â Hernandez, Huang, Maldonado, Israni and Wahab. They are on a separate ballot June 2 to claim one of the two spots in the November general election.
The full-term congressperson will represent District 14 with adjusted boundaries, given the redistricting established by Proposition 50.
