California Senator Aisha Wahab Defeats Pro-Israel Groups' Spending to Win Special Election

California State Senator Aisha Wahab has won a special election to fill the seat of former U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, despite a wave of attack ads funded by pro-Israel groups in the final weeks of the race.

U.S. media reported Thursday that Wahab, a progressive lawmaker, defeated her opponent Melissa Hernandez, a moderate Democrat. Wahab will represent California's 14th Congressional District, which includes southeastern parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, for the remainder of Swalwell's term, which ends in January.

“I will fight for the district that raised me,” Wahab said, emphasizing that her victory shows her district “cannot be bought.” “From an orphanage to Congress, this journey shows the promise of the American Dream.”

Wahab, a longtime advocate for economic and social justice issues in the California legislature, will become the first Afghan American member of Congress.

The special election was triggered after Swalwell resigned in April amid sexual assault allegations that he denied.

The race was the latest test of the influence of pro-Israel lobbying groups in the U.S., as support for Israel has declined sharply due to the war in Gaza. According to an AP poll released in July, about one-third of U.S. adults believe Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, a view supported by UN experts and human rights organizations.

Though foreign policy was not a central pillar of the campaign, Wahab has expressed similar views during her political career. Last year, she co-authored a state resolution condemning the “terrible humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza” and calling for an end to the war. At a candidate forum in April, she answered “yes” when asked if she believed what is happening to Palestinians constitutes genocide. In contrast, Hernandez did not answer directly, saying Israel has a right to self-defense but that the destruction in Gaza has gone “too far.”

Wahab won the June primary decisively with more than 42% of the vote compared to Hernandez's 17%. However, the race tightened when United Democracy Project, a super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), spent nearly $2.5 million since early August to support Hernandez. BOLD America, also funded by AIPAC, spent an additional $1.9 million.

Despite this, pro-Israel groups have faced notable setbacks during the 2026 midterm season. Progressive candidates like Abdul El-Sayed, a Senate candidate from Michigan, have overcome the groups' heavy spending to advance to the November general election.

Part of that spending went to ads that did not mention Israel or feature the issue prominently. One ad against Wahab made the false claim that she weakened laws against child sex trafficking. Wahab posted a rebuttal video, emphasizing she helped “make trafficking or luring minors illegal and a felony across the board,” while calling the ads “$5 million worth of lies.”

During her time in the state legislature, Wahab focused on issues such as affordable housing and authored a bill to ban caste-based discrimination, though it was vetoed by California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Wahab will face Hernandez again in November, when both will compete for the full two-year term in the 14th District. “Congratulations to Aisha Wahab on a decisive victory,” said progressive Rep. Ro Khanna of California. “I look forward to working with you on Medicare for All, living wages, and ending the war in Iran.”