California Democrats are maneuvering to quickly replace Rep. Eric Swalwell in an upcoming special election.
But the effort may be undermined by one of their own, threatening to leave the seat unfilled until after the August recess.
The seat, which Swalwell resigned after he was accused by multiple women of sexual assault and harassment, could be filled immediately if a candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote in the special primary election in June.
Five Democratic candidates running in the regularly-scheduled primary to succeed Swalwell for a full term have pledged they would not also run in the June 16 special election. Their hope is that rallying around a single candidate would ensure that person wins an outright majority in the primary and could be quickly sworn in.
But one Democratic contender, state Sen. Aisha Wahab, has not signed on, according to two people familiar with the document and granted anonymity to describe it. Having two or more Democrats on the ballot in the reliably blue district would all but guarantee the need for a run-off in mid-August, and the winner would not be seated until Congress returned from its August recess.
House Democrats anticipate several close votes coming up in June and July, and they’ll need every vote they can get to stymie Republican legislation. That concern prompted Democrats in Washington and in the area to encourage candidates to take themselves out of the running for the special election and instead back former state lawmaker Bob Wieckowski to serve out the duration of Swalwell’s current term.
“Most of us have either filed to run or were preparing to run in the special election. But we recognize the risk that with this crowded field, no candidate is likely to win 50% + 1. This would leave the seat vacant at a crucial time when Democrats could stop the Trump agenda from advancing in the House of Representatives. And that is a risk that our country can’t afford,” reads a written version of the pledge distributed to candidates and obtained by POLITICO.
Wahab, who is also running for a full term, didn’t immediately respond to a text message seeking comment. She’s endorsed by institutional players including the California Democratic Party, Wieckowski and members of the state’s congressional delegation — Reps. Robert Garcia, Kevin Mullin and Lateefah Simon — but the large crop of Democratic contenders is nevertheless expected to dilute the vote.
Wahab’s decision could make or break this effort to consolidate the field. The pledge says that if all the candidates do not agree to sign, “many will run in the special election.”
“But there is too much at stake for our country for any of us to put our personal hopes and ambitions ahead of this important effort to fill this seat with an experienced and reliable Democratic vote in the House,” the statement says.
Wahab told the San Francisco Chronicle she had not seen the statement.
The effort to cull the field also extended to would-be hopefuls who are not running in the regular election, such as former state Sen. Steve Glazer. Glazer pulled papers on Friday to run in the special election but told POLITICO on Monday that he would not file them, after he was approached by members of the congressional delegation encouraging him not to run.
“The caucus has laid out its very important goals to have the election be resolved in the primary and I completely agree with those goals,” Glazer said. “I don’t want my candidacy to get in the way.”
Glazer said he would step aside for Wieckowski, his former colleague in the Legislature.
“Bob is indicating he’s willing to step up and serve in that role and I’m supportive of that,” Glazer said.
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