Progressive lawmaker Aisha Wahab is set to replace the disgraced former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), marking a historical milestone as the first Afghan-American elected to the U.S. Congress.
Wahab made headlines back in 2018 by being the first Afghan-American to secure an elected position in the U.S., serving on the Hayward City Council. She overcame her Democratic rival, Melissa Hernandez, in a special election decided Thursday evening, according to the Associated Press (AP).
As the vote tally reached 95 percent for California’s Fourteenth Congressional District, Wahab led with 53.1 percent compared to Hernandez, who garnered 46.9 percent.
The rivals faced off in a special runoff after emerging as the two frontrunners in the June 16 special primary. This election followed the exit of Swalwell from politics due to a suspended gubernatorial campaign and resignation from office amid multiple unresolved allegations of sexual assault, which he denied. Earlier primary results had Wahab eclipsing Hernandez by 21 points for the upcoming full term starting in January.
Despite significant backing, Hernandez fell short. As president of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) board and former Dublin, California mayor, she still lost against Wahab, though high profile super PACs, including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), reportedly invested millions in her campaign, mainly through oppositional advertisements.
“I’m very proud of this district for not listening to the hate-mongering and really knowing and believing the work that I’ve done,” Wahab told KQED on Tuesday night after she took a slight lead over Hernandez.
In a recently unearthed interview with Indian-American outlet PunjabiTV, Wahab pledged to be an advocate for foreign H-1B visa workers:
“This is far more crucial than I think people understand … Why are we not training our next generation of leaders and technologists and doctors and nurses and so much more?” she said in the clip.
Swalwell’s seat has been open since his April resignation, and will still have to be fought for in the November election, where both Wahab and Hernandez will again be on the ballot, this time vying for a full two-year term.
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for – News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.