RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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California state Senator Aisha Wahab will serve out the remainder of former representative Eric Swalwell’s term after securing victory Thursday in a special election, The Times of Israel reported.
Swalwell, a pro-Israel Democrat who was running for California governor, ended his campaign and resigned from Congress in April after he was accused of sexual assault and harassment, which he denies. Wahab will represent the state’s 14th Congressional District, which covers parts of Alameda County on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, through Swalwell’s term ending in January.
She will be the first Afghan American to serve in Congress. The progressive Democrat defeated Bay Area Rapid Transit Director Melissa Hernandez even after a swell of spending by outside groups opposing Wahab in the race’s final stretch, including by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. She said her victory showed 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.”
Hernandez’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Wahab and Hernandez will face off again in a separate November election determining who will serve the next full two-year term.
Groups affiliated with AIPAC poured millions into supporting Hernandez, and thousands into opposing Wahab, who replied “yes” during an April debate when asked whether Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza constituted a genocide. In contrast, Hernandez declined to give a yes-or-no answer, instead saying that Israel had a right to defend itself following the October 7, 2023, atrocities, but that the “destruction in Gaza has gone too far.”
Wahab, who is the child of Afghan refugees, centered her campaign on affordability issues and civil rights. While her campaign website calls for “No More Wars!” it does not specifically reference the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Citing the civilian toll in US military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Libya, her site reads, “We cannot bomb our way to lasting peace.”
“As an Afghan, you know, I really deeply want to ensure that all people feel welcomed and safe and secure in this nation. And we know that there’s a rise in antisemitism. We know all of that,” Wahab continued. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t criticize a foreign nation. You can’t criticize their leadership.”
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