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Candidates in the crowded primary race for Congressional District 14 went head-to-head during an online forum this past Sunday to share their priorities and positions on local and national issues.
In attendance were Democrats Aisha Wahab, Melissa Hernandez, Carin Elam, Rakhi Israni and Matt Ortega, as well as Republican Wendy Huang. Dublin resident Dena Maldonado, a Republican on the ballot, bowed out Sunday afternoon. San Leandro City Councilmember Victor Aguilar Jr., a Democrat, and newcomer Suzanne Chenault, listed with no party preference, did not respond to invitations to join the debate.
Subjects on the table for the livestream forum hosted by the Pleasanton Weekly and Livermore Vine included local goals, the sudden scandal embroiling the current congressman, budgetary priorities, the current administration’s approach to immigration enforcement and the Iran war.
The candidates are competing on the June 2 ballot to claim one of the two spots in the November general election to represent District 14, including Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, Hayward, Union City and Fairview and parts of Fremont, San Lorenzo, Castro Valley and Mountain House.
The position was previously held by Eric Swalwell, who resigned Tuesday amid sexual assault allegations. A separate special election to complete the remainder of Swalwell’s current term has been scheduled for Aug. 18. The candidate list for that ballot is not yet set.
Sunday’s forum gave the primary election candidates the chance to introduce themselves and set their campaigns apart.
Pleasanton resident Elam said she is in the congressional race to protect democracy. Elam is equipped with a master’s degree in governance and launched Women to Win for the promotion of Democratic women vying for Congress.
“I’m not a career politician. I am a representative of our beautiful Bay,” Elam said.
Hernandez is a former Dublin mayor and current president of the BART Board of Directors — the first Latina to hold either role — as well as health care director for the Alameda County District 1 Supervisor’s Office.
With her leadership in the region, Hernandez said she has brought new infrastructure and jobs. In Congress, she plans to prioritize lowering the cost of building new housing and helping grow small businesses. She also aims to expand affordable health care.
Hernandez also cited endorsements from the “majority” of mayors, county supervisors, city council members and community leaders. “They know that I will be effective in Washington, D.C. and that I will deliver on my promises to you,” Hernandez said.
Huang, a hi-tech retiree and former caretaker of her children, who are now grown, said she is running for Congress to “challenge dirty politics”. She immigrated to the U.S. as a teen, attended college and currently lives in Union City.
“As taxes, regulations and the cost of living soar, working families are struggling,” Huang said. Accountability is needed for billions of dollars of tax fraud and sexual abuse by powerful individuals, the Republican added.
Israni introduced herself as an educator, attorney, business owner and mother.
As the founder of an educational company initially located in Fremont with over 20 years of working with students, Israni said she is inspired by the youth. She expressed her goals including lowering the cost of living, strengthening infrastructure and the educational system.
Small business owner and union member Ortega, a current Tri-Valley resident, said he was compelled to run because democracy is under threat and the economy is weakened.
“This administration’s knee is on our neck, while the wealthy and powerful pick our pockets,” he added. Ortega said he will be the candidate to take on the “most corrupt administration in history” and the “far-right”.
The final candidate was Wahab, California state senator for District 10, which includes Hayward, Fremont, Milpitas, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara. As the only candidate endorsed by the Democratic Party, Wahab said she has a track record for delivering for the district.
“As a state senator, I have tried very hard to ensure that we have downpayment assistance, that we protect our democracy, that we make our community safer — I plan to do the same in Congress,” Wahab said.
Following introductions, the forum transitioned to the question-and-answer portion of the night.
On the subject of top priorities for the district while in office as well as spending priorities, Huang said she plans to focus on economic growth and public safety.
In the wealthier areas of District 14, constituents are concerned about job opportunities, she said, while the less affluent areas are concerned about crime. Huang said she wants to ensure that law enforcement is supported.
Step one of budgeting is stopping the waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars, Huang said.
“If we just can stop the flow of these taxpayer fraud, we have a lot more money to go around to prioritize American citizens first,” Huang said. “When we talk about America first, we have to make sure its American citizens and law-abiding residents first and that’s a big difference between my ‘American first’ and my opponents, Democrats’ ‘American first’.”
Israni said she is focused on investing federal dollars in local infrastructure and education. Investing money in infrastructure will grow the economy, create jobs and improve the quality of life for the people who live and work in the district, she said.
“The foundation for our growth here in the Bay Area is our educational system,” Israni said. “We need strong schools. We need better support for our students and we need clearer pathways into colleges, careers and the workforce.”
As for Ortega’s goal in Congress, he aims to protect people from the current administration.
Ortega called for higher taxes to the wealthy, lowering the U.S. defense budget and a transition to medicare for all as well as federal programs for child care and the construction of single-family homes and apartment complexes that transition to private ownership to “fill the gap where the market has failed”.
Ortega also proposed reestablishing enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies and reinvesting in Medicaid, following cuts made via the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Wahab said she puts “humanity first” with priorities of social services, social security, mental health, food security, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, food security, infrastructure, housing and education. She said she also values investing in the labs and advanced manufacturing in the district.
“Once we take care of America first, and make sure that everyone feels comfortable and secure … our businesses also are stronger because they know stability means a better economy,” Wahab said.
Elam said her main platform addresses jobs and health care with bipartisan solutions.
She also noted the issue of a contracting nature of the job market amid the artificial intelligence boom, a problem she aims to address through collaboration with leaders in the technology sector through methods such as training or public-private partnerships.
Too much money is spent on border security and wars, Elam added later. Instead, Elam said she supports investing in schools, science, non-fossil fuel energy as well as a transition towards universal healthcare.
“We have to help people,” Elam said. “One of the biggest burdens they have right now is worrying about healthcare premiums.”
Hernandez said her priority is affordable health insurance, child care and housing.
“We definitely have to bring back funding that has been cut in all different arenas by the Big Beautiful Bill,” Hernandez said.
The hopefuls also addressed the approach being taken by President Donald Trump’s current administration as well as the rumored reuse of Federal Correctional Institution Dublin as an immigration detention center. FCI Dublin was closed during 2024 amid findings of systematic sexual abuse and exploitation at the facility as well as other harmful conditions.
Israni said she prioritizes eliminating per-country caps on employee visas as well as establishing permanent protection for undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children, dubbed Dreamers.
Ortega condemned Trump for committing “horrific acts” like “throwing kids into cages” and “snatching grandmas off the street”.
Ortega expressed opposition to opening FCI Dublin and expressed a desire to abolish the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “Very few of these actual detainees have any violent convictions, let alone any convictions,” he said. “In addition to that, they’ve been recruiting ICE agents with white supremacist propaganda.”
Hernandez agreed that FCI Dublin should not be reopened, but she said it is unlikely for ICE to be abolished.
Hernandez suggested revamping the process to gain citizenship for faster processing and a pathway for Dreamers to gain citizenship. She also encouraged working with nearby countries to stop illegal immigration.
Participants were also asked about their position on U.S. military action in Iran and Congress’ role in addressing the conflict’s impact on gas prices and the overall economy.
Wahab expressed opposition to the war, calling it a “reckless decision”.
“Humanity needs to be our leading voice,” she said. “I believe in deescalation and making sure that we lead with diplomacy first and humanity first,” Wahab said.
“We need a strong national security, but strength also means discipline and diplomacy,” she later added. “We have not exercised that enough in the last two decades of regime-change warfare and regional wars that literally have only fueled inflation and punishes working people.”
Elam argued that Trump has no respect for the U.S. Constitution.
Huang said she opposes all foreign wars that do not pose an immediate threat to the U.S.
“Given the media has lied to us all the time, we have no idea what is the truth anymore,” Huang said.
Describing herself as a moderate Republican, Huang said she is willing to work with Democrats on the issue but called on the minority party to work with the president instead of just criticizing him.
“It’s always the people who suffers. It’s the people paying higher prices. It’s the people who dies. It’s our tax dollars going to fund these wars,” Huang added.
To view the full forum, including the candidates’ positions regarding AI regulation, environmental policies, restoring the public trust after the Swalwell scandal and their ability to work through differences, watch the recording on the Pleasanton Weekly’s YouTube page. Hosted via live webinar by the Pleasanton Weekly and Livermore Vine, the forum was moderated by publisher Gina Channell Wilcox and associate publisher-editorial director Jeremy Walsh.
