Progressive Aisha Wahab Wins California Special Election for Swalwell's Seat
Democrat Aisha Wahab won the special election for California's 14th Congressional District, defeating moderate Democrat Melissa Hernandez 53% to 47%. The race drew national attention due to millions in outside spending by AIPAC opposing Wahab, a progressive. Wahab, daughter of Afghan refugees, will become the first Afghan American in Congress, serving out former Rep. Eric Swalwell's term after his resignation amid sexual misconduct allegations. She faces Hernandez again in November for a full term.
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Aisha Wahab Wins Special Election to Replace Eric Swalwell in House
California state Senator Aisha Wahab (D) won a special election on Thursday to complete the term of former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), who resigned in April amid multiple sexual assault and harassment allegations. With nearly all ballots counted, Wahab led fellow Democrat Melissa Hernandez 53% to 47%. The FBI has seized Swalwell's devices and searched his home as part of a federal investigation. Wahab, a progressive focused on housing affordability, will become the first Afghan American in Congress. The race was competitive after AIPAC spent millions on ads attacking her. Wahab and Hernandez will face each other again in November for a full two-year term, with new district lines adding 26,000 voters.
Aisha Wahab Wins Special Election to Replace Eric Swalwell in House
California state Senator Aisha Wahab, a Democrat, won a special election on Thursday to fill the remainder of former Representative Eric Swalwell's term. Swalwell resigned in April after multiple women accused him of sexual assault and harassment, and the FBI has since seized his devices as part of a federal investigation. Wahab, who will become the first Afghan American in Congress, defeated fellow Democrat Melissa Hernandez 53% to 47%. The race became more competitive after the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC spent millions on ads attacking Wahab, who ran on housing affordability. Wahab and Hernandez will face each other again in November for a full two-year term, with new district lines adding 26,000 voters from Dublin.
Aisha Wahab Wins Special Election to Replace Eric Swalwell in House
California state Senator Aisha Wahab, a Democrat, won the special election on Thursday to fill the remainder of former Representative Eric Swalwell's term. Swalwell resigned in April after multiple women accused him of sexual assault and harassment, and the FBI has since seized his devices as part of a federal investigation. Wahab, a progressive focused on housing affordability, defeated fellow Democrat Melissa Hernandez 53% to 47%. She will become the first Afghan American to serve in Congress. The race was made more competitive by the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, which spent millions on attack ads against Wahab. Wahab and Hernandez will face each other again in November for a full two-year term, under new district lines that include additional voters from Dublin.
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Progressive Aisha Wahab wins California special election for Swalwell's seat
California state Sen. Aisha Wahab, a progressive Democrat, won the special election to succeed former Rep. Eric Swalwell in California's 14th Congressional District. With over 95% of votes counted, Wahab defeated fellow Democrat Melissa Hernandez, president of the Bay Area Rapid Transit board, 53% to 47%. The race tightened after the June primary, with outside groups including AIPAC's main super PAC spending millions to boost Hernandez. Wahab, the daughter of Afghan refugees, had endorsements from the California Democratic Party and progressive leaders like Reps. Greg Casar and Pramila Jayapal. She will serve out Swalwell's term ending in January and face Hernandez again in November for a full term under a new district map. Swalwell resigned in April amid sexual misconduct allegations, which he denies.
Progressive Aisha Wahab wins California special election for Swalwell’s seat
California state Sen. Aisha Wahab, a progressive Democrat, won the special election to succeed former Rep. Eric Swalwell in California's 14th Congressional District, defeating moderate Democrat Melissa Hernandez 53% to 47% with over 95% of votes counted. The race tightened after the June primary, with outside groups including AIPAC's super PAC spending millions to boost Hernandez. Wahab, daughter of Afghan refugees and a former foster child, had endorsements from the California Democratic Party and progressive leaders like Reps. Greg Casar and Pramila Jayapal. She will serve out Swalwell's term ending in January and face Hernandez again in November for a full term under a new district map. Swalwell resigned in April amid sexual misconduct allegations, which he denies.
Progressive Aisha Wahab wins California special election for Swalwell's seat
California state Sen. Aisha Wahab, a progressive Democrat, won the August 2026 special election to succeed former Rep. Eric Swalwell in California's 14th Congressional District, defeating moderate Democrat Melissa Hernandez 53% to 47%. The race tightened after outside groups, including AIPAC's super PAC, spent millions backing Hernandez. Wahab, daughter of Afghan refugees and a former foster child, had endorsements from the California Democratic Party and progressive leaders like Reps. Greg Casar and Pramila Jayapal. She will serve the remainder of Swalwell's term, which ends in January, and will face Hernandez again in November for a full term under a new district map. Swalwell resigned in April amid sexual misconduct allegations, which he denies.
Democrat Aisha Wahab Wins Special Election for Eric Swalwell's Former California District
Democrat Aisha Wahab has won the special election to fill the U.S. House seat vacated by former Representative Eric Swalwell in California. The race drew national attention due to significant spending by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) opposing Wahab, a progressive candidate. Despite this opposition, Wahab secured victory, as projected by multiple news outlets including NBC News, CNN, and The Washington Post. The election was held in California's 14th congressional district, and Wahab's win is seen as a victory for progressive forces against substantial outside spending.