Aisha Wahab Exits – Independent Voters Now Decide Silicon Valley Senate Seat

Stretching across portions of Alameda and Santa Clara Counties, California’s Senate District 10 is one of the state’s economic powerhouses. It includes the cities of Fremont, Hayward, Milpitas, Newark, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, and Union City, as well as portions of San Jose. The district’s economy is anchored by Silicon Valley’s technology sector, which attracts a global workforce. The Apple factory where the first Mac computer was manufactured was located in Fremont. The Tesla factory is located in the district and employs tens of thousands of workers.

SD10 is home to large immigrant Asian-American communities that have helped define the civic and cultural fabric of the South Bay in beautiful Northern California.

The main campus of California State University, East Bay, is in Hayward, and 62.5% of undergraduates are first-generation Americans.

Nearly Half of the Residents Are Foreign Born

According to the 2023 American Community Survey, the district has a population of just over 1 million residents.

More than 48% of residents are foreign-born, and 23.6% are non-citizens. The population is 52% Asian, 20.5% Latino, 18.4% White, and 3.6% Black.

Asian Voters Comprise 44 percent of Electorate

When it comes to registered voters, Senate District 10 has a plurality Asian electorate. Asians make up 44.5% of the voting population, up from 40.3% in 2019. White voters comprise 28.6%, Latinos 18.8%, and Black voters 5.6%.

Educated and Affluent Communities

The community is highly educated and affluent. The median household income is $161,447, and the mean household income is $203,883. Approximately 6.7% of residents live below the poverty line. About 3.5% of residents lack health insurance.

An astonishing 55% of adults in the district hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, and 26.6% have a graduate degree.

The district has 21,867 civilian veterans, or 2.7% of its population.

Housing Costs Are The Highest in the State and Nation

Housing costs are among the highest in the state and nation. The median home value in Senate District 10 is $1,173,400, and the median rent is $2,903. About 54% of homes are owner-occupied, while 46% are rented.

Almost One in Three Voters is Registered With No Party Preference

As of October 20, 2025, the district had 528,830 registered voters. Democrats account for 266,312 or 50.36%, while No Party Preference voters make up 154,831 or 29.28%.  Republicans represent 15.64%, and the remaining voters are affiliated with smaller parties, including American Independent (2.69%), Libertarian (0.68%), Peace and Freedom (0.53%), and Green (0.48%).

The partisan advantage is Democratic +34.72%. The district’s registration is split between Alameda County (53.38%) and Santa Clara County (46.62%). Alameda voters favor Democrats by 40.70, while Santa Clara voters favor Democrats by 32.60.

Past Election Results

The previous version of Senate District 10 voted decisively for Democrats in recent national contests. In the 2020 presidential election, the district voted 73.26% for Joe Biden and 24.80% for Donald Trump, a Biden margin of 48.46%.

In the 2024 general election, Kamala Harris received 234,182 votes (66.47%) to Donald Trump’s 102,961 (29.22%). Third-party candidates combined for just over 4% of the total, including Jill Stein (2.20%), Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (1.22%), Claudia de la Cruz (0.47%), and Chase Oliver (0.42%).

In the 2024 United States Senate race, Adam Schiff (Democrat) carried the district with 231,558 votes (68.79%), while Steve Garvey (Republican) received 105,061 votes (31.21%).

Incumbent Aisha Wahab Is Not Running for Re-Election in 2026

Aisha Wahab (Democrat) was elected to the California State Senate in 2022 after defeating Fremont Mayor Lily Mei in a Democrat versus Democrat top two general election.

Wahab announced she will not seek re-election to the State Senate in 2026. Instead, she is running for the open 14th Congressional District, which Representative Eric Swalwell is vacating to launch a campaign for governor. Her decision opens one of the Bay Area’s few competitive legislative seats, triggering early interest among local officeholders.

Carmen Montano

Democrat Carmen Montano, the mayor of Milpitas, filed a statement of intention with the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC ID 1402795) on July 3, 2025, becoming the first candidate to enter the Senate race. Montano announced her State Senate bid before Senator Aisha Wahab confirmed she would give up the seat to run for Congress, initially positioning herself as a challenger to the incumbent.

In her announcement, Montano said, “Our families deserve common-sense representation in Sacramento. Too much partisan politics are strangling progress in our state. We need strong leaders who can work with all legislators to find common ground and deliver solutions that truly serve our communities.”

In interviews, Montano has emphasized her belief that moderate voices are needed to bridge divides in Sacramento.

“I’m not really about the party, I’m about the people and the community,” she told the Oakland Tribune. “I feel that I could make a difference in people’s lives.” She also said, “People forget that they’re representing the people and not just representing the party.”

Montano brings more than 20 years of experience as an elected official to the race, having served as a Milpitas Unified School District Trustee, City Councilmember, Vice Mayor, and now Mayor. She was first elected to the Milpitas School Board in 2000, serving eight years, then to the Milpitas City Council for two nonconsecutive terms, before being elected Mayor in 2022.

Montano is the first woman to be elected mayor in Milpitas. She won re-election in 2024 in a competitive race with a crowded field of four candidates and is now serving her second term, which expires at the end of 2026. Her 2024 re-election goals focused on ensuring police and fire departments are fully equipped, beautifying Milpitas, alleviating traffic congestion, attracting high-tech businesses, and revitalizing Main Street.

Born February 21, 1955, Montano has lived in Milpitas since 1964. She is a third-generation Californian whose grandparents settled in the state in the early 1920s. Her parents were farm workers who later moved from the Central Valley to the Bay Area in search of better opportunities. Her father worked at General Motors in Fremont and became a proud UAW union member.

Montano’s family eventually settled in Sunnyhills, one of the first planned integrated neighborhoods in the country, an experience she says shaped her lifelong commitment to diversity and inclusion.

She attended Abel and Curtner Elementary Schools, Russell Middle School, Samuel Ayer High School, and Milpitas High School. Earlier, she attended Snow Elementary in Newark, where she was named Citizen of the Year, and was an active member of St. Edward’s Parish, where she made her First Holy Communion.

A semi-retired teacher with 26 years of experience, Montano continues to contract with several school districts in Santa Clara County, including Milpitas Unified School District.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from San Jose State University and a California teaching credential, which she maintains as a substitute teacher. She taught elementary and middle school students in the Franklin-McKinley School District in San Jose for more than two decades.

Montano often describes her philosophy of public service through the Rotary motto “Service Above Self.” She has served on multiple city commissions, including the Parks and Recreation Commission, Library Commission, and Planning Commission, and was elected to the Milpitas School Board before transitioning to city government.

She is touting her accomplishments which include attracting a Rivian Electric Vehicle distribution center to Milpitas and voting to approve two 100 percent affordable housing projects. Montano also supported efforts that cut the city’s five-year deficit by 43 percent.

In October 2022, The Mercury News reported that the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) opened an investigation into a 2019 trip to China taken by then-Vice Mayor Montano. The probe centered on a $3,600 gift Montano reported receiving for an “educational and cultural exchange” and whether it complied with the state’s $520 gift cap for local officials. The complaint, filed by a Milpitas resident, alleged that the trip may have involved activities related to a trade fair rather than education. Montano said she traveled to observe new teaching strategies for her education business, Community Classrooms, and that she toured a middle school in Henan Province. The FPPC investigation remained pending at the time of the report.

In 2023, former Milpitas City Manager Steve McHarris filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the city, alleging intimidation and unethical conduct by several city officials, including Mayor Montano, Vice Mayor Evelyn Chua, and former Mayor Rich Tran. The City of Milpitas has denied any wrongdoing and has spent thousands of dollars on its own internal investigation and related legal costs.

In September 2025, Montano joined the Milpitas City Council in voting to approve a pay raise for the mayor and councilmembers. The increase, the first in more than a decade, will more than double council salaries but cannot take effect until after the November 2026 election under state rules. The ordinance raises council pay from about $10,800 to more than $24,000 annually, with the mayor’s salary increasing from $13,500 to about $29,000. “It’s long overdue,” Montano said in an interview with the Mercury News. “We work hard and we address their emails and we’re out there in the community. It’s a lot of work, but it’s a labor of love.”

As a State Senate candidate, she has pledged to emphasize public safety, affordable housing, K-12 education, job creation, and insurance reform, including proposals to allow home insurance premiums to qualify as tax deductions. She has also made modernizing mental health treatment facilities, supporting small businesses, and upholding law and order central to her campaign platform.

She said she would prioritize accountability for those who commit crimes, including increased funding for Proposition 36 to expand access to substance abuse treatment, and cited smash-and-grab thefts as an ongoing public safety concern. She also emphasized balanced housing policies, improving literacy and academic outcomes, and making home insurance more affordable.

“Right now, our two-party system is broken,” Montano said. “Both parties are often too extreme or out of touch with everyday needs. The middle class is struggling more than ever. We need leaders willing to work in the middle to find solutions that benefit everyone.”

“I will work every day,” she added, “to bring results that benefit society as a whole.”

Montano’s passion for public service traces back to the early 1990s when she noticed that the Sunnyhills neighborhood, where she grew up, was not being properly maintained. She co-founded the Sunnyhills Improvement Association (now the Sunnyhills Neighborhood Association) with community activist Bob Pecot to beautify and improve the area.

Her success with that effort led to her continued involvement in city affairs and her eventual transition into teaching, which she says reflects her belief in “improving the lives of children and families.”

Scott Sakakihara

Democrat Scott Sakakihara, a Union City Councilmember and Navy Reserve Intelligence Officer, filed a statement of intention with the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC ID 1486041) on January 13, 2026.

Sakakihara was elected to the Union City Council in 2022 and represents District 4. Before joining the council, he served on the Union City Planning Commission beginning in 2017, first as an alternate and later as a full member.

He serves as the council’s representative on the Housing Authority of Alameda County, the Union City Parks and Recreation Commission, the New Haven Unified School District Joint Subcommittee, and the City of Union City Audit Subcommittee. He is an alternate representative on the Alameda County Transportation Commission, the Alameda County Waste Management Authority, and the ACWMA Programs and Administration Committee.

He is a member of the Union City Lions Club and Saint Paul United Methodist Church. In his professional life, he works as the finance chief of staff for a software company in Silicon Valley.

Sakakihara grew up in Union City. He attended Pioneer Elementary, Itliong-Vera Cruz Middle School (formerly Alvarado Middle School), and James Logan High School.

He spent his childhood in Union City’s public parks, took swim lessons at Logan High, and participated in community programs at Holly Center and Kennedy Center.

Sakakihara met his wife, Melinda, at Pioneer Elementary School when they were six years old. Today, they live on Regents Boulevard in Union City with their two children.

“My wife Melinda, a public school teacher, and I have three young children. Our two oldest attend the same public elementary school where Melinda and I first met as kids,” he said.

Sakakihara credits his success to the public education system and opportunities that Union City provided. After graduating from James Logan High School, he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science with honors from the University of California, San Diego, and later graduated from Harvard Law School in 2008.

After Harvard, Sakakihara interned with Congressmembers Pete Stark and Mazie Hirono and later served in the Obama White House during the administration’s fight to pass the Affordable Care Act.

In 2009, he was awarded the Japanese American Citizens League Mike M. Masaoka Fellowship, which placed him in Congresswoman Mazie Hirono’s Washington, D.C. office. The fellowship gave him additional opportunities for public service and legislative experience.

After completing his fellowship, Sakakihara returned to California, passed the State Bar, and began working as an attorney in Silicon Valley.

According to East Bay Insider, Sakakihara has emerged as an frontrunner in the race, due in part to his ability to self-fund. Reports indicated that he had personally committed $250,000 to launch his campaign, with speculation that he could contribute significantly more. At a recent Alameda County Democratic Party event, delegates responded favorably to Sakakihara’s remarks, though some raised concerns about his previous employment with Palantir, a technology company that has drawn criticism for its contracts with federal agencies and ties to Israel.

The tension was notable because the local Democratic Party had earlier adopted a resolution describing Israel’s occupation of Gaza as genocide. Sakakihara directly addressed the issue, telling attendees that he left Palantir because of the company’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities, and devoted much of his speaking time to explaining that decision. Opponents, including Montano, later cited his Palantir background in messages to delegates ahead of the party’s pre-endorsement caucus.

In 2017, he joined the United States Navy Reserve, where he continues to serve as an Intelligence Officer. “I’ve served in an intelligence role in the US Navy Reserve, which included leading an intelligence team supporting special operations for eight months in the Middle East in 2021,” he said.

Sakakihara is a fourth-generation Japanese American, and all four of his grandparents were incarcerated in internment camps during World War II. “Hard work and service are in my DNA,” he said. “I come from a family of farm and produce workers. All my grandparents were in Japanese American internment camps in World War II. One grandpa was given the option to join the US military, and he did, to give our family a better future after the camps.”

He has said his grandparents’ experience rebuilding their lives after the war instilled in him an enduring sense of resilience, duty, and appreciation for diversity. “Even though my grandparents had to start back at the bottom after the war,” he said, “they created a better future for their families because of our diversity, opportunity, and resilience.”

In Union City, Sakakihara’s priorities on the council have focused on land use, housing, and community development. His campaign for State Senate emphasizes affordability, education, public safety, and expanding opportunity for working and middle-class families. “Union City gave me everything,” Sakakihara said in announcing his campaign. “Now I want to make sure that future generations have the same chance to build a life, raise a family, and succeed here.”

He has described his approach to public service as rooted in gratitude and obligation to the community that raised him.

“I was made in Union City,” he said. “Everything I’ve achieved came from the opportunities this community gave me.”

“I have dedicated my life to service, as a US Navy Reserve officer, Union City Councilmember, and former Vice Mayor. I love the Bay Area, where I was born and raised. And as we raise our three kids here, I feel a strong sense of duty to my family, community, and state. We can’t sit back when there are people living without shelter, neighbors who can’t pay for groceries, can’t afford to buy a home. When there are people who can’t sleep because they don’t know if they can give their kids a better life than they had. California can do better,” Sakakihara said.

Harris Mojadedi

Harris Mojadedi, a Chabot-Las Positas Community College District Trustee and resident of Union City, also filed to run. Mojadedi was born on April 10, 1990.

Mojadedi is the son of Afghan refugees who fled persecution and war during the 1980s to make a better life for their children. The youngest of five siblings, he grew up in Union City and attended Cabello Elementary, Alvarado Middle School, and James Logan High School. “Growing up in a beautifully rich and diverse city such as Union City gave me an appreciation and understanding of different people and cultures,” he said. “From an early age, my parents taught me never to take for granted our democracy and to be civically involved.”

His early involvement in public service began in high school, when he was elected Student Trustee to the New Haven School Board. After graduating, Mojadedi earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from San Jose State University and a master’s degree from Saint Mary’s College.

Mojadedi has worked in higher education for more than a decade, holding positions at California State University, East Bay, and the University of California, Berkeley, where he serves as Assistant Dean for Strategic Initiatives. His professional work has focused on access and inclusion in public education.

In addition to his role as a college trustee, Mojadedi has held several local and county-level leadership positions. He serves as Chair of the Alameda County Human Relations Commission, has chaired the Union City Planning Commission, and sits on the boards of the New Haven Schools Foundation and the EDGE Youth Leadership Seminar. He also serves on the advisory board for SAVE, a local community advocacy organization.

Mojadedi became one of the first LGBTQIA+ Muslims to hold public office in the San Francisco Bay Area when he was elected to the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District Board. “Being one of the first is an immense privilege in the sense that I get to help shape and help socialize for the elected class what an LGBTQ+ Muslim officeholder looks like,” he said in a statement shared by the district.

As a Trustee, Mojadedi has supported programs that connect local schools, community colleges, and universities, with the goal of expanding access to higher education. “I believe that our community colleges can help address many of the most pressing issues of our time,” he said. “Education is the foundation of equity and progress, and I am committed to ensuring that every student has the tools and support they need to succeed.”

Mojadedi’s campaign reflects his professional experience in higher education and his focus on education policy, civic engagement, and opportunity for students across the East Bay.

Linda Price

On the Republican side, Linda Price, a management trainer and small business executive, filed with the FPPC (ID 1463017) on October 20, 2025.

Price was born on April 13, 1946, and lives in Sunnyvale. She holds an associate’s degree from Foothill-De Anza Community College (1974), a bachelor’s in business from the University of San Francisco (1976), and a master’s in business and management from Grambling State University (1981). She also earned a teaching credential in secondary education from UCSC-Berkeley.

Price serves as vocational service director for Rotary International District 5170, has taught at eight different colleges, and is the CEO of Professional Dynamics, a management training firm.

She previously ran unsuccessfully for the Fremont Union High School District Board in 2022, placing fourth in a five-candidate race.

The district’s open-seat dynamics will test whether independent and nonpartisan voters, who make up nearly 3 in 10 registrants, continue to exert influence in one of the most diverse and economically pivotal regions of California.

Paul Fong

Former South Bay Assemblymember Paul Fong was mentioned as a possible candidate in the East Bay Insiders Newsletter, but has not officially filed.

About the 2026 California Nonpartisan Top Two Primary

The last day to register to vote for the June 2 Top Two primary is May 18, 2026. All active registered voters in California will receive a vote-by-mail ballot for the primary. County election offices will begin mailing ballots by May 4. Ballot drop-off locations open on May 5.

Vote-by-mail ballots can be returned by mail, at a drop-off location, or to a county elections office. Vote centers open for early in-person voting in all Voter’s Choice Act counties beginning on May 23. Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by June 9.

Source Notes: This article draws on publicly available information from the California Secretary of State, CalMatters, the California Target Book, Ballotpedia, California FPPC campaign finance filings, individual candidate websites and social media accounts, and reporting from local and regional newspapers and television stations.