{"id":7401,"date":"2026-08-21T12:37:36","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T12:37:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7401"},"modified":"2026-08-21T12:37:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T12:37:36","slug":"aisha-wahab-wins-swalwells-seat-becomes-first-afghan-american-elected-to-congress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7401","title":{"rendered":"Aisha Wahab wins Swalwell\u2019s seat, becomes first Afghan American elected to Congress"},"content":{"rendered":"
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State Sen. Aisha Wahab won the special election Thursday to complete former Rep. Eric Swalwell\u2019s term, overcoming more than $5 million in outside spending favoring her opponent and becoming the first Afghan American elected to Congress.<\/p>\n

Read more Nonprofit buys site of school that abruptly shut down in San Jose<\/a><\/p>\n

Wahab widened her lead over BART Board President Melissa Hernandez to 53% to 47% in the latest returns. Wahab had 51,610 votes to Hernandez\u2019s 45,598, an insurmountable margin with just 255 ballots left to cure.<\/p>\n

Wahab will complete Swalwell\u2019s term, which expires in January, before facing Hernandez again Nov. 3 for a full two-year term.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis victory belongs to the voters who made clear that our district cannot be bought,\u201d Wahab said. \u201cThrough one of the ugliest, most expensive elections we\u2019ve ever seen, we never took the bait or went negative. We stayed focused on the people, and I will fight for this district that raised me. From foster care to Congress, this journey shows the possibility of the American Dream.\u201d<\/p>\n

The race tightened dramatically after outside political groups poured millions of dollars into advertising ahead of Tuesday\u2019s runoff. Wahab had defeated Hernandez by roughly 26 percentage points in the June special primary, compared with her 6-point victory Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Outside groups have spent more than $5 million to support Hernandez or oppose Wahab. That includes more than $2.4 million from United Democracy Project, the super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, according to financial disclosures.<\/p>\n

By comparison, outside groups supporting Wahab, primarily labor-aligned organizations and the Alameda County Democratic Party, spent more than $890,000 during the race.<\/p>\n

Following her defeat, Hernandez emphasized how sharply she narrowed Wahab\u2019s earlier advantage and looked ahead to their November rematch.<\/p>\n

Read more Norte\u00f1o gang\u2019s \u2018most violent and prolific shooter\u2019 sentenced to 30 years<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIn just 63 days, we closed a gap from 26,000 votes to 6,000 votes by sharing our message of lowering housing costs, creating jobs, and supporting strong public safety,\u201d Hernandez said Thursday afternoon.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to winning this on November 3rd with a more favorable district and a much larger electorate,\u201d she added. \u201cGame on!\u201d<\/p>\n

Congressional District 14 spans southern Alameda County and the Tri-Valley, including parts of Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Dublin and Pleasanton.<\/p>\n

Swalwell resigned from Congress and ended his gubernatorial campaign earlier this year after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct. He has denied the allegations.<\/p>\n

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Thursday\u2019s result settled the third of four contests for the seat this year. Wahab and Hernandez advanced from separate crowded fields in two June primaries and will meet once more in November.<\/p>\n

Wahab received about 43% of the vote in the June 16 special primary, compared with Hernandez\u2019s 17%. In the June 2 primary for the full term beginning next year, Wahab received about 38% to Hernandez\u2019s 17%.<\/p>\n

Read more His rent is $0. A Bay Area affordable housing surge made it possible<\/a><\/p>\n

Wahab is a former Hayward councilwoman. Hernandez is a former Dublin mayor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

State Sen. Aisha Wahab defeated Melissa Hernandez in the special election to complete Eric Swalwell\u2019s term, becoming the first Afghan American elected to Congress<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nAisha Wahab wins Swalwell\u2019s seat, becomes first Afghan American elected to Congress - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7401\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Aisha Wahab wins Swalwell\u2019s seat, becomes first Afghan American elected to Congress - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"State Sen. 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