Democratic candidates have secured the two slots for a special general election to serve out the remaining term of former California U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, who resigned from Congress after sexual assault and misconduct allegations.

Special Election Candidates

State Sen. Aisha Wahab and Melissa Hernandez, a Bay Area Rapid Transit director, received the most votes in a crowded field of both Democrats and Republicans to move on to the Aug. 18 special general election. Wahab had a lead in votes, but Hernandez said her path forward to August is “digging into the numbers, and going out to those areas where we know that we can secure votes.” Hernandez emphasized her focus on bringing down costs for lower and middle-class families, saying, “We’re going to fight the good fight.”

Whoever wins the special election in August will fill Swalwell’s seat through January. At that time, the winner of the regular general election in November will take over for a full, two-year term. Both candidates are running in two separate elections for California’s 14th Congressional District, which includes East Bay cities such as Fremont, Hayward, and Livermore.

Wahab, who didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, is an established presence in California politics as the Senate’s assistant majority leader. She has campaigned on a more progressive platform and has detailed her track record in public office, including expanding welfare programs and renter protections, promoting social justice issues, and pledging to support small businesses by cutting bureaucratic hurdles.

Hernandez, who was the former mayor of the East Bay city of Dublin, has highlighted similar goals while emphasizing a business-friendly approach. For lowering costs, Hernandez said she would “prioritize growing small businesses” and promote incentives to build housing. She also would push to lower health insurance premiums by restoring insurance subsidies.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.