Aisha Wahab will take the U.S. House seat for California’s East Bay, winning a special election to replace Eric Swalwell, who resigned in April after facing sexual misconduct allegations. Swalwell has denied the allegations. The victory closes a contentious intra-party contest that had national attention because of heavy Super PAC involvement and competing endorsements within the Democratic delegation.
Wahab, a state senator, entered the race as the clear frontrunner and attracted formal backing from the state Democratic party, Our Revolution, labor unions, local officials and the state attorney general, Rob Bonta. She had earlier won the special election primary by more than 20 points over Melissa Hernandez, the president of the Bay Area Rapid Transit board.
The general contest tightened as outside groups poured money into Hernandez’s campaign. With 95% of votes counted on Thursday afternoon, Wahab led Hernandez by just over six points in the vote to fill the remainder of Swalwell’s term. Reports emerged this month that Super PACs had spent more than $5m in a matter of weeks on pro-Hernandez and anti-Wahab ads, and Track Aipac said the lobby had spent nearly $6.4m to support Hernandez.
Wahab, the first Muslim woman and Afghan American elected to the California legislature, said the late surge of critical ads misrepresented her record and called the Super PAC activity election interference, arguing the groups were trying to buy the seat. She framed her win in personal terms, saying, "I will fight for this district that raised me," and adding, "From foster care to Congress, this journey shows the possibility of the American Dream."
The campaign exposed divisions inside California Democrats. Representative Zoe Lofgren, chair of the state’s House delegation, endorsed Hernandez, saying Wahab did not back an effort to install a caretaker to fill Swalwell’s seat quickly. Progressive leaders pushed back, with Amar Shergill, a former chair of the party’s progressive caucus, calling Lofgren’s move "astounding" and maintaining support for Wahab.
Hernandez acknowledged the outcome and framed her run as a long fight. "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," she said. Wahab will now serve the final months of Swalwell’s term, and the narrow margin highlights how concentrated Super PAC spending can reshape even short, intra-party contests. Observers will watch whether this episode alters how Democrats manage endorsements and outside spending in future special elections.
