What to know about California’s special election to replace Eric Swalwell

EXPLAINERA race that once received little attention has morphed into a proxy fight for the soul of the Democratic Party.Voters in a swath of the US state of California’s Bay Area are heading to the polls Tuesday to determine which Democrat will replace former Representative Eric Swalwell to represent the state’s 14th Congressional District.State Senator Aisha Wahab and local transit official Melissa Hernandez are facing off in a race that has become increasingly expensive and combative.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4How much has AIPAC spent against Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed? And why?list 2 of 4How Abdul El-Sayed’s ‘extraordinary’ win stunned pro-Israel establishmentlist 3 of 4Fifth woman accuses former US lawmaker Eric Swalwell of sexual misconductlist 4 of 4Eric Swalwell exits California governor race after sex assault allegationsend of listWahab and Hernandez both advanced to Tuesday’s special election after they garnered roughly 38 and 17 percent support, respectively, during a nonpartisan primary held in June. Under California’s unique “jungle primary” system, the two candidates with the most votes advance if neither receives more than 50 percent of the vote.Swalwell, who spent more than a decade in Congress before mounting a run for California governor earlier this year, resigned in April following multiple allegations of sexual assault, which he has denied.When do the polls open and close?Polls are open for voters from 7am to 8pm local time (14:00 Tuesday – 02:00 Wednesday GMT).Why has this become a tense race?Once considered the inevitable successor, Wahab has contended against a flood of outside money. Super PACs, including some affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), have spent millions of dollars on s to sink Wahab’s candidacy and boost Hernandez in the final weeks of the race. One such AIPAC-affiliated group, the United Democracy Project, spent $1.2m on the race in August in support of Hernandez and in opposition to Wahab, according to Federal Election Commission records. Another group spent $1.7m on the race.