California lawmaker overcomes pro-Israel spending to win special election

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkCalifornia 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]By Al Jazeera Staff, Reuters and The Associated PressPublished On 22 Aug 202622 Aug 2026California state Senator Aisha Wahab has won a special election to fill the seat of former United States Congressman Eric Swalwell, overcoming a deluge of attack ads funded by pro-Israel groups in the final weeks of the race.US media outlets projected on Thursday that Wahab, a progressive, had beaten her rival, moderate Democrat Melissa Hernandez.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3What to know about California’s special election to replace Eric Swalwelllist 2 of 3How Abdul El-Sayed’s ‘extraordinary’ win stunned pro-Israel establishmentlist 3 of 3How much has AIPAC spent against Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed? And why?end of listShe will now represent California’s 14th congressional district, which includes the southeastern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, for the remainder of Swalwell’s term, which ends in January.“I will fight for this district that raised me,” Wahab said in a statement, adding that her victory shows that her district “cannot be bought”.“From foster care to Congress, this journey shows the possibility of the American Dream.” Wahab, a longtime supporter of economic and social justice issues in California’s state legislature, is set to become the first Afghan American member of the US Congress.The special election was triggered when Swalwell resigned in April, following reports of alleged sexual assault, which he denied.The race is the latest to test the influence of the pro-Israel lobby in the US, where support for the country has dropped precipitously amid its genocidal war on Gaza.According to an Associated Press poll released in July, roughly a third of US adults believed Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, a position backed by United Nations experts and rights groups.While foreign policy was not a main pillar of her campaign, Wahab has echoed those views during her time in politics.Last year, she co-authored a state resolution denouncing the “horrific humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza” and calling for an end to the war.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.Hernandez, by contrast, did not give a direct answer. She said that, while Israel had a right to defend itself, the destruction in Gaza had gone “too far”.Wahab went on to win June’s primary for the special election by a wide margin, with more than 42 percent of the vote to Hernandez’s 17.But the race tightened as the United Democracy Project, 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 reports.The news outlet CNN reported that BOLD America, another group that receives funding from AIPAC, also spent $1.9m. While pro-Israel groups have sought to shape elections through massive spending, such efforts have faced several high-profile setbacks across the country during the 2026 midterm election season.Progressive candidates including Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed have overcome heavy spending from pro-Israel groups in the midterm primaries to advance to November’s general election.Some of that spending, however, has gone to advertising that does not mention Israel or place the issue prominently.One ad against Wahab, for instance, focused on misleading claims that she had weakened laws against the sex-trafficking of minors. Wahab released her own video, emphasising that she had made it “illegal and a felony to traffic or solicit minors, across the board”. She called the advertising “$5m of lies”.During her time in the state legislature, Wahab focused on issues such as housing affordability and authored a bill that would have banned caste-based discrimination. It was ultimately vetoed by California Governor Gavin Newsom.Wahab will have a rematch against Hernandez in November, when both women will compete for the chance to represent California’s 14th district for a full two-year term.“Congratulations Aisha Wahab on your decisive victory,” Ro Khanna, a progressive representative from California, said in response to Wahab’s win. “I look forward to working with you on Medicare for All, a living wage, and ending the war in Iran.”