Democratic state Senator Aisha Wahab has secured victory in the special election for California’s 14th District, according to NBC News. Her win allows her to complete the remaining term of former Representative Eric Swalwell. Swalwell resigned in April following allegations of sexual assault, which he has denied.
In the election, Wahab defeated Melissa Hernandez, another Democrat who is a member of the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board of Directors. The contest advanced to this one-on-one race after neither candidate achieved a majority in the initial June 16 primary.
During the primary stage, Wahab garnered 43% of the votes against Hernandez’s 17%. However, the final election proved to be tighter, with Wahab leading at 53% compared to Hernandez’s 47%, with 95% of the vote counted.
The election saw significant financial influence. A super PAC associated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) invested heavily in the final weeks, spending around $2.5 million to oppose Wahab. Despite the financial pressure, Wahab criticized these efforts, citing attempts by “AIPAC-linked dark-money PACs” to undermine her.
Hernandez distinguished herself by being the only candidate at an April forum not to label Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide. By contrast, Wahab declared that such actions by Israel amount to genocide.
This election is the latest to be influenced by pro-Israel financial contributions. Some past efforts have succeeded; candidates supported by AIPAC-related funds have won in states like Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, and Maryland.
Nonetheless, some of AIPAC’s preferred candidates have not prevailed. For instance, its super PAC, United Democracy Project, spent over $30 million supporting Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan, but Stevens lost her Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed, a former public health official.