Thank you for this important question. It’s still unknown and unverified as of this writing, June 20th, 2026.

Based on the publicly available FEC reports for the CA-14 special election, Dena Maldonado (Republican) of Dublin reported $0 raised, $0 spent, and $0 cash on hand during the reporting period. The records also show no reported contributions from the California Republican Party to her campaign. As a candidate myself, I personally paid the required filing fees for both the June 2 and June 16 special elections.

It is worth noting that a few other candidates in the race also reported $0 financial activity, including Alisha Lokelani Cordes (Democrat) of Livermore, Victor Zevallos (No Party Preference) of Washington, D.C., Suzanne Chenault (No Party Preference) of Long Barn, and Bob Wieckowski (Democrat), whose committee address is listed in Sacramento.

However, unlike Dena Maldonado, these candidates were not the California Republican Party’s endorsed candidate.

By comparison, other active candidates reported substantial campaign activity. Melissa Hernandez (Democrat) of San Jose reported approximately $498,000 raised. Rakhi Israni (Democrat) of Fremont reported approximately $2.18 million raised, including a $1.2 million candidate loan. Aisha Wahab (Democrat), whose committee is based in Sacramento, reported approximately $501,000 raised. Matt Ortega (Democrat), also with a Sacramento-based committee, reported approximately $33,000 raised. Sheriene Ridenour (Democrat) of Castro Valley reported approximately $37,000 raised. Carin Elam (Democrat) of Pleasanton reported approximately $31,000 raised, including a $25,000 candidate loan. Abrar Qadir (Democrat) of Pleasanton reported approximately $27,000 raised. I, Wendy Huang (Republican) of Union City, reported approximately $33,000 raised, including a $23,307 candidate loan.

It is also worth comparing this to another California Republican Party–endorsed congressional candidate in a neighboring district. In California’s 13th Congressional District, Republican Kevin Lincoln, the California Republican Party’s endorsed candidate, reported approximately $1.48 million in campaign receipts. That level of fundraising reflects a significant and active campaign operation. The contrast between a Republican-endorsed candidate reporting nearly $1.5 million raised and a Republican-endorsed candidate reporting $0 in fundraising and $0 in expenditures is a question voters may reasonably ask party leaders to explain.

I believe voters deserve transparency and accountability from everyone seeking public office, regardless of party affiliation. The public record shows that most active candidates in the race reported fundraising, candidate loans, expenditures, or some combination thereof. Given that Dena Maldonado was the California Republican Party–endorsed candidate, it is fair for voters to ask why her campaign reported no fundraising, no expenditures, and no financial activity during the reporting period, while other active candidates—and even other Republican Party–endorsed congressional candidates in nearby districts—were reporting substantial campaign operations and financial disclosures.