California state Senator Aisha Wahab has emerged victorious in a special election to fill the seat formerly held by Eric Swalwell. The progressive candidate successfully navigated a late-stage surge of attack advertisements funded by pro-Israel organizations to win the race for California’s 14th congressional district, which encompasses the southeastern San Francisco Bay Area.
Wahab is set to serve the remainder of Swalwell’s term, which concludes this coming January. Her win marks a significant milestone as she becomes the first Afghan American to serve in the United States Congress. Reflecting on her path to office, Wahab stated, “From foster care to Congress, this journey shows the possibility of the American Dream.” She added, “I will fight for this district that raised me,” asserting that her victory proves her district “cannot be bought.”
The special election was initiated following Swalwell’s resignation in April amidst allegations of misconduct, which he has denied. Wahab’s path to the seat included a strong performance in the June primary, where she secured over 42 percent of the vote compared to 17 percent for her opponent, moderate Democrat Melissa Hernandez.
The contest intensified in its final weeks as the United Democracy Project, a super PAC linked to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), funneled nearly $2.5 million into the race to support Hernandez. CNN further reported that BOLD America, another group receiving AIPAC funding, contributed an additional $1.9 million to the effort. Despite this influx of capital, Wahab’s victory follows a broader trend of progressive candidates across the country overcoming significant outside spending during the 2026 midterm season.
The role of US foreign policy in the Middle East became a focal point of the campaign. While not a central pillar of her platform, Wahab has previously taken clear stances on the conflict in Gaza. Last year, she co-authored a state resolution condemning the “horrific humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza” and advocating for an end to the war. During an April candidate forum, she explicitly stated that she viewed the situation in Gaza as a genocide—a perspective that aligns with findings from various United Nations experts and human rights organizations. An Associated Press poll from July indicated that approximately one-third of American adults share this assessment.
In contrast, Hernandez avoided a direct characterization of the conflict, stating that while Israel maintains a right to self-defense, the level of destruction in Gaza had gone “too far.”
Throughout her tenure in the state legislature, Wahab has prioritized social and economic justice, including efforts to address housing affordability and a legislative push to ban caste-based discrimination, though the latter was eventually vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom.
Following the announcement of her win, California representative Ro Khanna offered his congratulations, noting, “I look forward to working with you on Medicare for All, a living wage, and ending the war in Iran.”
The two candidates are already preparing for a rematch in November, where they will compete for a full two-year term representing the 14th district. The report also notes that a super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), spent nearly $2.5m since early August to boost Hernandez, according to media repor, but the race tightened as the United Democracy Project. The report also notes that at a candidate forum in April, Wahab also answered “yes” when asked whether she believed what was happening to the Palestinian people constituted a genocide. The report also notes that such efforts have faced several high-profile setbacks across the country during the 2026 midterm election season, while pro-Israel groups have sought to shape elections through massive spending.
Source: Al Jazeera
