Democratic state Sen. Aisha Wahab won a special election in California's 14th District, succeeding former Rep. Eric Swalwell. With 95% of the vote counted, Wahab led Melissa Hernandez by a margin of 53-47%. The special election was influenced by a pro-Israel super PAC that spent $2.5 million against Wahab in its final weeks. This is the latest example of how such groups' efforts have yielded mixed results in various elections across the country.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Aisha Wahab, a progressive state senator from California, has won the special election to fill the seat left vacant by former Rep. Eric Swalwell, who resigned in April amid allegations of sexual assault. Wahl beat out Melissa Hernandez, a fellow Democrat and president of the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board, with 53% of the vote compared to Hernandez's 47%. The special election was held on Tuesday, and Wahab will serve out the remaining months of Swalwell's term until January 2027. Wahl has been critical of Israel's actions in Gaza, calling them "genocide", which may have contributed to the heavy spending by outside groups, including a pro-Israel super PAC that spent $2.5 million against her. Wahab's victory is seen as a significant win for progressive Democrats and could signal a shift in the party's direction.
Written for “California Congressional Election” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score -0.35 for article 1710 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-08-31
Democratic state Sen. Aisha Wahab has won the special election in California’s 14th District, NBC News projects, and will serve out the remaining months of former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s term.
asserted
News → win → term
Swalwell resigned from Congress in April amid allegations of sexual assault, which he has denied.
asserted
he → resign → which
Wahab defeated Melissa Hernandez, a fellow Democrat who is on the Bay Area Rapid Transit board of directors, in the special election after the two got the most votes in the June 16 primary.
asserted
two → defeat → primary
The race moved to a one-on-one contest after no one secured a majority.
asserted
one → move → majority
Wahab took 43% to Hernandez’s 17% in the initial primary, but Tuesday’s election was much closer.
asserted
election → take → primary
With 95% of the expected vote in, Wahab led 53% to 47%.
asserted
Wahab → expect → vote
A super PAC aligned with the pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee spent heavily in the race’s final weeks, dropping about $2.5 million against Wahab.
asserted
PAC → align → Wahab
Wahab has said Israel’s conduct in its war against Hamas in Gaza is genocide, and her campaign website includes a statement panning “AIPAC-linked dark-money PACs” trying to “tear Aisha Wahab down.”
asserted
website → say → Wahab
Hernandez, meanwhile, was the only candidate who did not answer “yes” when she was asked at an April forum whether Israel was committing genocide.
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Israel → answer → genocide
It’s the latest race shaped by the pro-Israel group’s millions.
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It → ’ → millions
Some of those efforts have been successful: House candidates who benefited from millions in AIPAC-linked cash won key victories in states like Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky and Maryland.
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who → benefit → Illinois
But the group’s preferred candidates have also fallen short in high-profile races in New Jersey, Illinois and, most recently, Michigan, where United Democracy Project, the AIPAC-linked super PAC, spent more than $30 million to boost Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens, who lost her Senate primary to former public health official Abdul El-Sayed.
asserted
who → prefer → Sayed
