California state Senator Aisha Wahab has won a special election to succeed Eric Swalwell in Congress, marking a historic milestone as the first Afghan American to serve in the U.S. legislature.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California state Senator Aisha Wahab will complete the term of former Representative Eric Swalwell after winning a special election on Thursday.
Swalwell, a Democrat who had been running for governor of California, resigned from Congress in April amid allegations of sexual assault and harassment, which he denies. Wahab will represent the state’s 14th Congressional District, which includes parts of Alameda County on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, until Swalwell’s term concludes in January.
Wahab’s election is historic; she becomes the first Afghan American to serve in Congress. The progressive Democrat triumphed over Bay Area Rapid Transit Director Melissa Hernandez, despite significant spending by outside groups opposing her candidacy in the final days of the campaign. Wahab stated that her victory demonstrates that her district “cannot be bought.”
“I will fight for this district that raised me,” Wahab said in a statement. “From foster care to Congress, this journey shows the possibility of the American Dream.”
The conclusion of the race to replace Swalwell comes as criminal investigations into the allegations against him are ongoing. Recently, federal agents seized electronic devices from Swalwell at the San Francisco airport and conducted a search of his home in Washington, D.C., according to a source familiar with the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Wahab made history in 2018 when she became the first Afghan American elected to public office in the United States, winning a seat on the Hayward City Council.
Throughout her time in the Legislature and during her campaign, Wahab has been a strong advocate for housing affordability and access. In 2023, she introduced a bill aimed at banning caste-based discrimination, which garnered national attention. However, the bill was vetoed by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who stated that such discrimination is already prohibited under existing civil rights protections.
Wahab and Hernandez will face each other again in a separate election in November, which will determine who will serve a full two-year term in Congress.
Wahab won the primary decisively, but the general election saw a surge of outside spending in support of Hernandez. Groups affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) invested millions to support Hernandez and thousands to oppose Wahab.
During a candidate forum in April, Wahab responded affirmatively when asked if she considered the situation facing the Palestinian people to be genocide. In contrast, Hernandez, a moderate Democrat, did not provide a direct answer. She acknowledged Israel’s right to defend itself following the October 2023 attack by Hamas but expressed concern that “the destruction in Gaza has gone too far.”
Hernandez expressed pride in her competitive campaign against Wahab, stating, “I’ve been a fighter my whole life, and when I promised the residents of CA-14 I would fight for them, I never gave up.”
According to the Associated Press, Wahab’s victory marks a significant moment in California’s political landscape.