Progressive California State Senator Aisha Wahab Wins Special Election Despite Heavy Pro-Israel Spending

California state Senator Aisha Wahab speaks to the media during an election-night watch party on August 18 in Hayward, California [Heather Diehl/Getty Images via AFP]

California state Senator Aisha Wahab has won a special election to fill the seat of former United States Congressman Eric Swalwell, successfully overcoming a wave of attack advertisements funded by pro-Israel groups in the final weeks of the campaign. US media projections on Thursday confirmed that the progressive candidate had defeated her moderate Democrat rival, Melissa Hernandez.

Wahab will now step in to represent California’s 14th congressional district—spanning the southeastern part of the San Francisco Bay Area—for the remainder of Swalwell's term, which concludes in January. Expressing gratitude in a statement, Wahab emphasized that her victory proves the district cannot be bought, highlighting her journey from foster care to Congress.

As a long-standing advocate for social and economic justice in California's state legislature, Wahab is also poised to become the first Afghan American member of the US Congress. The special election was initiated following the April resignation of Swalwell.

The race serves as another barometer for the influence of the pro-Israel lobby in American politics, arriving at a time when domestic support for Israel has faced scrutiny over its military campaign in Gaza. While foreign policy was not the primary focus of her platform, Wahab has previously co-authored a state resolution denouncing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and has characterized the situation as a genocide.

Conversely, Melissa Hernandez stated that while Israel holds a right to self-defense, the destruction in Gaza had gone too far. Although Wahab dominated the June primary, the competition tightened significantly after organizations like the United Democracy Project—a super PAC linked to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)—and BOLD America invested millions into boosting Hernandez.

Despite millions spent on advertising that targeted Wahab with controversial claims regarding her legislative record, the progressive candidate secured a decisive victory. Wahab and Hernandez are slated for a rematch in November to compete for a full two-year term representing California’s 14th district.