# United States Representative, District 14 Compare records and positions simply between Melissa Hernandez or Aisha Wahab for United States Representative, District 14 at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. This person holds your district's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives (2-year term). - Jurisdiction: Federal - Election: November 3, 2026 California general election - Publisher: Vote or Else (https://voteorelse.com) — a free, nonpartisan ballot guide for California voters. No endorsements. - Canonical page: https://voteorelse.com/2026/us-rep-14 - Full ballot: this page covers one race. Every contest on a voter's own ballot, by address, with the same breakdown for each: https://voteorelse.com/ - Sources last retrieved: September 24, 2026 - Source-objectivity score: 87 out of 100 (Strong), across 7 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology ## On the ballot - **Melissa Hernandez** — Healthcare Services Director · Democratic - **Aisha Wahab** — State Senator · Democratic This is an open seat and both November candidates are Democrats: State Senator Aisha Wahab led the June 2 primary with 38.3% and Melissa Hernandez took 17.2%. The district covers Fremont, Hayward and part of southern Alameda County. The winner holds one of 435 seats in the U.S. House for a two-year term. A member introduces bills, sits on committees that shape federal legislation, votes on the federal budget and on war powers, and handles casework between constituents and federal agencies. Because this seat is open, whoever wins starts at the bottom of the seniority ladder. With two Democrats on the ballot, party is not the axis. One brings a state legislative record with 7 bills signed into law; the other has not held state or federal office but out-raised Wahab. Both are funded mainly by individuals. Weigh a documented legislative record against a larger campaign without one. ## Aisha Wahab Aisha Wahab, a Democrat, is a sitting California state senator representing SD-10 and is seeking this open House seat. They were raised in foster care in Fremont after their father was murdered and their mother died when they were young, and were later adopted (campaign site). In 2018 they became the first Afghan American woman elected to public office in the U.S., on the Hayward City Council. In 2022 they became the first Afghan American elected to the California Legislature (campaign site). In the Senate they chair the Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee and serve as Assistant Majority Leader (campaign site). Wahab frames their campaign as a challenge to entrenched interests, saying "the status quo is afraid because I work for you — not billion-dollar corporations" (campaign site). Their campaign says that on the Hayward City Council they helped reduce homelessness by 22 percent over three years and expanded affordable housing and down-payment assistance. In the Senate, it says they have championed civil rights protections and pushed for accountability from utility and insurance companies (campaign site). Wahab promises to expand affordable housing and homeownership, and to protect funding for food assistance, health care and public education. They also promise to invest in small businesses and job training (campaign site). They promise continued partnership with law enforcement on community safety and environmental protection. Their site quotes POLITICO describing them as known for a "no-nonsense style of lawmaking and willingness to ruffle feathers" (campaign site). **Strengths:** A documented state legislative record and committee leadership role, plus a specific self-reported record cutting homelessness on the Hayward council. **Trade-offs:** No federal record, and most of what is documented about their record here comes from their own campaign rather than independent reporting. **Keep in mind:** Wahab led the June field by a wide margin but well short of a majority, so November depends on where the rest of that field's support goes. ## Melissa Hernandez Melissa Hernandez, a Democrat, is the daughter of migrant farmworkers. She became the first Latina mayor of Dublin, California, and now works as a healthcare services director (campaign site). Her campaign says that as mayor she "kept Dublin financially strong without raising taxes." It also says she led the city to a "Best Places to Live" designation while "building housing at every level of affordability" (campaign site). She frames her congressional run as an extension of her mayoral record, promising "results-driven leadership" rather than partisan gridlock (campaign site). She has not served in the California Legislature or Congress. Her only documented elected record is as Dublin's mayor, where her campaign says she "partnered with local law enforcement and neighbors to respond to residents' concerns" on public safety (campaign site). She promises to "drive down the costs of housing, healthcare, and childcare" and "protect Social Security and Medicare from cuts." She also promises to invest in "mental health crisis response" and to "lower prescription drug costs" while expanding Medicare (campaign site). On immigration she promises "real immigration reform," including "a real pathway to citizenship for DREAMers," and supports legislation to "fully restore the Inflation Reduction Act" (campaign site). **Strengths:** A documented record as an elected mayor, including a specific 'Best Places to Live' recognition and housing built at multiple price levels, by her account. **Trade-offs:** No state or federal legislative record; the only office she has held is Dublin mayor, a much smaller government than Congress. **Keep in mind:** She finished well behind the primary frontrunner in June; how much that reflects name recognition versus a verdict on her mayoral record is for you to weigh. ## Record in office Melissa Hernandez has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress; these records cover only those offices. Aisha Wahab (Democratic) has served in the U.S. House since 2026 and has sponsored 0 bills in the 119th Congress; none of their bills have become law so far. Per Congress.gov and the public-domain congress-legislators roster, retrieved 2026-09-21. ## Financial info - **Melissa Hernandez** — $1,990,729 raised (Individuals: $1,868,550; PACs & committees: $110,500) - **Aisha Wahab** — $874,398 raised (Individuals: $650,933; PACs & committees: $183,983; Self-funding: $38,500) Total raised is all receipts for the 2026 cycle; the breakdown lists direct contributions, so the pieces can sum below the total. Figures are FEC filings through September 7, 2026, per the FEC bulk campaign-finance summaries, retrieved 2026-09-21. ## Review notes - Melissa Hernandez for Congress and Aisha Wahab for Congress may have more bias because they are advocacy voter guides compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources. ## Sources 1. [CA Secretary of State — Statement of Vote, June 2, 2026 primary (certified 2026-07-10)](https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/prior-elections/statewide-election-results/primary-election-june-2-2026/statement-vote) 2. [Ballotpedia — June 2026 California primary](https://ballotpedia.org) 3. [Aisha Wahab for Congress — campaign site (home, About and Issues, used for biography, motivation and platform)](https://www.aishawahab.com/) 4. [Melissa Hernandez for Congress — campaign site (home and Issues, used for biography, mayoral record and platform)](https://www.melissahernandez2026.com/) 5. [congress-legislators — current members of Congress (unitedstates project)](https://unitedstates.github.io/congress-legislators/legislators-current.json) 6. [Congress.gov — member sponsored legislation (Library of Congress)](https://api.congress.gov/) 7. [FEC — 2026 House & Senate current-campaign financial summaries (bulk data)](https://www.fec.gov/files/bulk-downloads/2026/webl26.zip) ## The rest of the ballot United States Representative, District 14 is one contest among the many a California voter decides on November 3, 2026 — Congress, the Legislature, county, city, and school board races differ by address. Vote or Else builds the full list for any California address and breaks down each contest the way this page does, with no account and without storing the address: https://voteorelse.com/ ## How to cite this page Vote or Else, "United States Representative, District 14 — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/us-rep-14 (sources last retrieved September 24, 2026). Link the canonical page above rather than this Markdown file. Coverage is updated as the race develops, so quote it with its retrieval date.