January 1, SCANDAL Fallout: Battle for Disgraced Democrat’s Seat Takes Stunning Turn

Wyatt’s Take

• Eric Swalwell resigned in disgrace after sexual assault allegations from at least five women — the same man who spent years lecturing Americans about morality
• Two Democrats are now fighting to replace him, but voters still don’t have a clear winner — typical California chaos
• The far-left candidate’s own father told supporters to call ICE on her moderate opponent — you can’t make this up

The special election to fill the seat vacated by disgraced former Congressman Eric Swalwell remained undecided early Wednesday morning. Swalwell resigned in April after sexual assault allegations surfaced from at least five women.

Before the scandal broke, Swalwell was running for California governor. He dropped that bid along with his congressional career once the allegations came to light.

Two Democrats are battling for his seat: progressive state Senator Aisha Wahab and moderate Bay Area Rapid Transit Board President Melissa Hernandez. Tuesday’s primary race will determine who immediately fills Swalwell’s seat for the remainder of the term.

But this race is also serving as the primary for the midterms. That means Wahab and Hernandez will face each other again in November, extending this drama for months to come.

The two candidates emerged as the top vote getters in the special election’s jungle primary held on June 16 for California’s 14th Congressional District. Under California law, elections have open primaries — whoever the top vote getters are, regardless of party affiliation, moves on to the general election.

The race between Hernandez and Wahab mirrors a larger trend across Democratic primary races nationwide. Far-left progressive candidates, often backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, are seeking to defeat establishment-backed Democratic candidates.

Wahab has served in the state Senate since 2022. She’s running on a platform centered on cracking down on ICE, having co-authored legislation making it easier for citizens to sue immigration agents.

She’s also pushing for lower prescription drug prices and investments in green and renewable energy. Wahab has received backing from Our Revolution, a group founded by Senator Bernie Sanders, along with Attorney General Rob Bonta and fellow progressives Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and Congressman Greg Casar.

Hernandez has taken a moderate approach on key issues like immigration. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Hernandez acknowledged that the immigration system is broken.

“I support smart border security and regional cooperation,”

Hernandez said.

She has received endorsements from close to a dozen Congressional members. But the race took a bizarre turn when Wahab’s own father undermined her anti-ICE stance.

Despite Wahab’s critical position on immigration enforcement, her father took to Facebook calling for his daughter’s supporters to call ICE on Hernandez. The embarrassing mishap forced Wahab’s campaign to issue an apology on its website.

Why It Matters

When a California Democrat’s own father exposes the hypocrisy of the far-left immigration stance, you know something’s broken. Working families across America are tired of politicians who say one thing in public and something completely different behind closed doors. This race shows the chaos that follows when a party cares more about radical ideology than common sense solutions.