Aisha Wahab Wins Special Election for Swalwell's House Seat

California state Senator Aisha Wahab has won the special election to fill the remainder of former Representative Eric Swalwell's term in the U.S. House, which runs through January. Wahab, a Democrat, defeated Bay Area Rapid Transit Director Melissa Hernandez in the race for California's 14th Congressional District, which covers parts of Alameda County east of San Francisco Bay.

Swalwell, who was also a Democrat and had been running for governor, resigned from Congress in April after facing accusations of sexual assault and harassment. He has denied the allegations. The criminal investigation into those accusations is ongoing; federal agents recently seized electronic devices from Swalwell at a San Francisco airport and later searched his home in Washington, D.C.

Wahab, who has championed housing affordability and access, also authored a 2023 bill to ban caste-based discrimination that drew national attention. Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed the measure, arguing that existing civil rights protections already cover such discrimination.

Wahab made history in 2018 when she became the first Afghan American elected to public office in the U.S., winning a seat on the Hayward City Council. With this victory, she will become the first Afghan American to serve in Congress.

Wahab and Hernandez will face each other again in November's general election to determine who will serve the next full two-year term. Wahab won the June primary decisively, but her campaign has faced significant outside spending from groups affiliated with AIPAC, which have poured millions into supporting Hernandez and opposing Wahab.