U.S. House · California's 14th Congressional District
Melissa Hernandez
Member, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Board of Directors, District 5 (since 2024)D
- Race
- U.S. House · California's 14th Congressional District
- Result
- Aisha Wahab, projected winner
- Opponent
- Aisha Wahab (D)
- Research
- Basic
Party linenone
No recorded floor votes — not a current legislator in our records.
Said vs. did7 statements · 0 votes
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.
Expand immigration enforcement and deportations
Compare statements with votes ›On the ballotU.S. House · 14
2026-11-03
| Aisha Wahab D | incumbent |
| Melissa Hernandez D | challenger |
Lost the August 18, 2026 special general election to Wahab, 46.9%-53.1%; also advanced from the June 2, 2026 top-two primary for the regular term.
Said vs. did
Each documented position next to the recorded floor votes we map to the same issue. Votes are compared one at a time; no overall stance is inferred from them.
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.
Documented position[7]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
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.
Documented position[7]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Says she will protect and expand Medicare, restore insurance subsidies to reduce premium costs, and restore funding for health programs serving vulnerable families.
Documented position[7]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
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.
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.[7]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Supports a transition toward renewable energy sources and legislation to fully restore the Inflation Reduction Act's climate programs.
Documented position[7]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Supports expanding the Child Tax Credit, recruiting and better paying childcare workers, and paid family and medical leave.
Documented position[7]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Says she will fight to protect reproductive healthcare and restore reproductive freedom by supporting legislation like the Women's Health Protection Act.
Documented position[7]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Biography
Melissa Hernandez, a Democratic member and 2026 president of the BART Board of Directors, lost the November 3, 2026 election for California's 14th Congressional District to Aisha Wahab. She served eight years on the Dublin City Council, including four as mayor, and describes herself as the daughter of migrant farmworkers and the first Latina mayor of Dublin. She advanced from the June 2 primary in second place and lost the August 2026 special general election to Wahab.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
Hernandez is the daughter of migrant farmworkers and a Mexican immigrant father, according to her campaign website, and she raised two children as a single mother while working and putting herself through college.[6] She served on the Dublin City Council for eight years, according to BART, and as the city's mayor for four years until June 2024; her campaign website describes her as the first Latina mayor of Dublin.[3][6] She ran unsuccessfully for the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, District 1, in the March 2020 primary, which David Haubert won.[2] During her time in local office she chaired three regional transit bodies: the Livermore-Amador Valley Transit Authority, the Tri-Valley/San Joaquin Valley Regional Transportation Authority (Valley Link), and the Finance Committee of the Alameda County Transportation Commission.[3]
The BART Board appointed Hernandez on May 23, 2024, to fill a vacancy in District 5, and she was elected to the seat in November 2024, defeating Joseph Grcar 71.3% to 28.7%. She is the first Latina to serve on the BART board.[3][2] She served as the board's vice president in 2025 and was elected its president for 2026.[3] Hernandez advanced from the June 2, 2026 top-two primary with 17.2% of the vote and lost the August 18, 2026 special general election to Aisha Wahab.[2][1] She received 42.5% of the vote to Aisha Wahab's 57.5%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News and KTVU.[4][5]
On the record
Official actions: bills, executive acts, filings and court records.
- 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.[7]
- actionElected to the BART Board of Directors, District 5, taking office May 23, 2024; has served as BART Board President.[8][7]
In their own words
Priorities
- Says lowering costs and expanding economic opportunity for working families, including housing, healthcare and childcare costs, will be her first priority in Congress.[7]
- 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.[7]
- Says she will fight for real immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship, while also supporting what she calls smart border security.[7]
Campaign money$2.0M raised · 94% from individuals · FEC through 2026-09-07
Totals this cycle
Bars share one scale (raised = full). Cash on hand can include money carried over from earlier cycles.
Who gave
- Individuals $1.9M
- PACs & committees $111K
Largest committee contributions
- Innovation for Good PAC PAC$15K
- Ca Luv PAC (California Leadership United for Victory PAC) PAC$10K
- Chc Bold PAC PAC$10K
- Cemex Inc. Employees PAC PAC$5,000
- Elect Democratic Women PAC$5,000
- SD PAC PAC$5,000
- Hindu American Political Action Committee PAC$5,000
- Dmfi PAC PAC$5,000
- Pete Aguilar for Congress Candidate committee$4,000
- National Electrical Contractors Association Political Action Committee PAC$2,500
Direct contributions only; outside spending is not included. Individual donors are itemized in the FEC’s receipts. All itemized receipts ↗ FEC filing ↗
Profile: /people/melissa-hernandez
Compare all 2 candidates side by side ›
Sources cited in this profile
- 1.California's 14th Congressional District election, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
- 2.Melissa Hernandez · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
- 3.Melissa Hernandez · Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Official record
- 4.U.S. House · California's 14th Congressional District results 2026 · NBC News News report
- 5.U.S. House · California's 14th Congressional District results 2026 · KTVU: Wahab wins CA-14 (Nov 6) News report
- 6.Issues · Melissa Hernandez for Congress campaign website · 2026-09-25 Candidate's own words
- 7.Issues · Melissa Hernandez for Congress campaign website · 2026-09-25 Candidate's own words
- 8.Melissa Hernandez · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference