California State Senator Aisha Wahab has won a special election to represent California’s 14th Congressional District, defeating fellow Democrat Melissa Hernandez in the race to complete the term of former Congressman Eric Swalwell.
The Associated Press called the race for Wahab on Thursday, August 20, making her the first Afghan American elected to the United States Congress.
Wahab, who represents parts of California’s East Bay in the state Senate, emerged victorious after a contest that became considerably tighter in its closing stages. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that she had 53.09 percent of the vote when the race was called, despite millions of dollars in outside spending aimed at defeating her.
The special election was held on August 18 to fill the vacancy created by Swalwell’s resignation from Congress in April. Swalwell stepped down after allegations of sexual assault and harassment were made against him, allegations he has denied. Wahab will serve the remainder of his term, which expires in January 2027.
“I will fight for this district that raised me,” Wahab said in a statement following her victory. “From foster care to Congress, this journey shows the possibility of the American Dream.”
Wahab had entered the election as the frontrunner after comfortably leading Hernandez and the rest of the field in the June special primary. Official figures from that election showed Wahab receiving 52,961 votes, or 42.8 per cent, while Hernandez received 20,731 votes, or 16.8 per cent.
The gap, however, narrowed sharply during the final stretch of the runoff as outside groups poured millions of dollars into the contest. Groups affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, AIPAC, spent heavily in support of Hernandez and against Wahab, with reports putting the spending at more than $6 million.
Wahab had accused the outside groups of attempting to influence the election through an aggressive advertising campaign. Hernandez, a former Dublin mayor and president of the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board of Directors, nevertheless mounted a significantly stronger challenge than her showing in the June primary had suggested.
The victory adds another milestone to Wahab’s political career. She became the first Afghan American elected to public office in the United States when she won a seat on the Hayward City Council in 2018 and later became the first Muslim and Afghan American woman elected to the California Legislature. Her election to the House now makes her the first Afghan American to serve in Congress.
