U.S. House · California's 14th Congressional District

• actionElected to the Hayward City Council in 2018 and to the California State Senate, District 10, in 2022, where she served as Assistant Majority Leader.[3][2]
• actionWon the special general election for California's 14th Congressional District on August 18, 2026, filling the vacancy left by Eric Swalwell.[1]

• ✓SupportsStronger rent regulation and tenant protections

  Campaign site says she expanded rent stabilization from 1,000 to 10,000 units on the Hayward City Council and expanded the state Renter's Tax Credit and tenant protections in the Senate.[4]

• ✓SupportsLoosen zoning rules to build more housing

  Says she will push to increase funding for affordable, social, workforce, and starter housing, cut red tape, and speed up construction, while stopping Wall Street and private equity from buying single-family homes.[4]

• ✓SupportsExpand public health coverage

  Says she delivered a $35 insulin cap in the state Senate and will push to protect Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP from cuts or privatization in Congress.[4]

• ✓SupportsUniversal, publicly funded child care

  Says she will push to expand paid family leave, universal childcare, after-school programs, and family tax relief.[4]

• Says she is running to lower costs of housing, healthcare, childcare, groceries, gas, and utilities, and to take on corporate price-gouging and junk fees.[2][4]
• Says she will defend democracy, women's rights, civil rights, and immigrant families while supporting what she calls victim-first public safety.[2]
• Campaign site cites her Senate record delivering a $35 insulin cap, $300 million for first-time homebuyer down-payment assistance, and an expanded Renter's Tax Credit.[4]

• Born in New York, New York; lives in Hayward, California. Earned a B.A. in political science from San Jose State University, an MBA from California State University, East Bay, and a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California.[3]
• Career experience includes working as an IT manager, IT business consultant, and senior management analyst in finance.[3]
• Elected to the Hayward City Council in 2018, becoming mayor pro tempore in 2020; elected to the California State Senate, District 10, in 2022.[3]

Raised $874K · spent $641K · $233K cash on hand (through 2026-09-07) FEC filing ↗

• actionServed as mayor of Dublin, California, where the city received a "Best Places to Live" designation during her tenure and expanded housing at multiple affordability levels.[6]
• actionElected to the BART Board of Directors, District 5, taking office May 23, 2024; has served as BART Board President.[7][6]

• ✓SupportsStronger rent regulation and tenant protections

  As mayor of Dublin, says she oversaw one of the region's largest housing expansions, including affordable housing for seniors and residents with disabilities alongside market-rate rentals; in Congress says she would work to lower housing costs and help first-time homebuyers.[6]

• ✓SupportsLoosen zoning rules to build more housing

  Says she cut red tape and lowered building costs as mayor of Dublin, and in Congress would work to lower the cost of raw materials and provide incentives to build new housing.[6]

• ✓SupportsExpand public health coverage

  Says she will protect and expand Medicare, restore insurance subsidies to reduce premium costs, and restore funding for health programs serving vulnerable families.[6]

• ~MixedExpand immigration enforcement and deportations

  Says ICE's immigration enforcement is 'broken and out of control' and supports a pathway to citizenship for DREAMers and undocumented community members, while also saying she supports 'smart border security' and regional cooperation on migration.[6]

  “ICE has become a symbol of an immigration system that's broken and out of control, and it needs fundamental reform. ... At the same time, Melissa supports smart border security and regional cooperation to address the root causes driving migration, not political stunts that put families in danger.”

• ✓SupportsFaster transition away from fossil fuels

  Supports a transition toward renewable energy sources and legislation to fully restore the Inflation Reduction Act's climate programs.[6]

• ✓SupportsUniversal, publicly funded child care

  Supports expanding the Child Tax Credit, recruiting and better paying childcare workers, and paid family and medical leave.[6]

• ✓SupportsProtect legal access to abortion

  Says she will fight to protect reproductive healthcare and restore reproductive freedom by supporting legislation like the Women's Health Protection Act.[6]

• Says lowering costs and expanding economic opportunity for working families, including housing, healthcare and childcare costs, will be her first priority in Congress.[6]
• Says she will push to give police, firefighters and emergency responders more training, staffing and resources while investing in mental-health crisis response and addiction treatment.[6]
• Says she will fight for real immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship, while also supporting what she calls smart border security.[6]

• The daughter of migrant farmworkers and a Mexican immigrant father; raised two children as a single mother while working and putting herself through college.[6]
• Served as the first Latina mayor of Dublin, California.[6]
• Elected to the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Board of Directors, District 5, taking office in 2024; has served as BART Board President.[7][6]
• Ran unsuccessfully for the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, District 1, in the March 2020 primary.[7]

Raised $2.0M · spent $1.9M · $81K cash on hand (through 2026-09-07) FEC filing ↗