Democratic State Senator Aisha Wahab Triumphs in California’s 14th District Special Election

Election Result Overview

Democratic state Senator Aisha Wahab has emerged victorious in the special election in California’s 14th District, as projected by NBC News. She will complete the remaining months of former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s term. Swalwell stepped down from Congress in April following allegations of sexual assault, which he refuted.

Primary and Contest Details

Wahab competed against Melissa Hernandez, a fellow Democrat serving on the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board of Directors, in the special election. Both received the highest number of votes in the June 16 primary. The election proceeded to a direct contest after no candidate secured a majority. Although Melissa Hernandez benefited from a surge of outside funding at the last minute, she fell short in the election.

In the initial primary, Wahab secured 43% of the vote, compared to Hernandez’s 17%. The final election results were much closer, with Wahab leading 53% to 47% as 95% of the expected votes were counted.

Campaign and Super PAC Influence

A super PAC linked to the pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) heavily invested during the final weeks of the race, spending approximately $2.5 million against Wahab. Wahab has publicly declared her stance that Israel’s actions in the conflict against Hamas in Gaza constitute genocide, expressing disapproval over “AIPAC-linked dark-money PACs” attempting to undermine her campaign.

Conversely, Hernandez was the sole candidate not affirming the view that Israel was committing genocide when questioned during a forum in April.

Broader Impacts of AIPAC Influence

The substantial financial efforts by the pro-Israel group have swayed various races, with several candidates supported by AIPAC-linked funding achieving victories in locations such as Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, and Maryland. However, there have been instances in which the group’s backed candidates did not prevail. This includes high-profile races in states like New Jersey, Illinois, and more recently in Michigan. In Michigan, the United Democracy Project—a super PAC affiliated with AIPAC—allocated over $30 million to support Democratic Representative Haley Stevens, who lost her Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed, a former public health official.