5 highlights from primary elections in Florida, Wyoming and Alaska

5. Progressive candidate leads in special election to finish Swalwell’s unexpired term 

The race to finish the unexpired term of former Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., remains too close to call, although unofficial results show Aisha Wahab leading with 51% of the vote to Melissa Hernandez’s 49%. Both candidates are Democrats and will face off against each other again in the fall for the regularly scheduled general election for a full, two-year term to represent California’s 14th Congressional District. 

Wahab, who has an endorsement from the progressive advocacy group Our Revolution PAC, has identified herself as “the only candidate in this race who has called for abolishing ICE.” Wahab finished first in the June 16 primary for the special election, where all candidates appeared on the same ballot regardless of party and the top two candidates advanced to the general election. Wahab took over 40% of the vote in the primary while Hernandez came in a distant second. 

Swalwell’s seat became vacant after his resignation earlier this year amid allegations of sexual misconduct, including rape and sexual assault. While Swalwell has denied allegations of serious wrongdoing, the claims against him led to the end of his campaign for governor of California as well as his career in the U.S. House of Representatives. Swalwell had previously sought the Democratic nomination for president in the 2020 presidential election.