{"id":2647565,"date":"2026-08-20T20:13:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T00:13:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/aisha-wahab-wins-california-special-election-in-defiance-of-aipac-flood\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T20:15:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T00:15:02","slug":"aisha-wahab-wins-california-special-election-in-defiance-of-aipac-flood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/aisha-wahab-wins-california-special-election-in-defiance-of-aipac-flood\/","title":{"rendered":"Aisha Wahab wins California special election in defiance of AIPAC flood"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Faisha-wahab-wins-california-special-election-in-defiance-of-aipac-flood%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2647565&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Democratic state Senator Aisha Wahab narrowly won a special election to fill the Congressional seat vacated by Eric Swalwell in California&#8217;s 14th District, with her victory largely attributed to a significant $4.4 million investment from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Wahab secured 53.1% of the vote, defeating AIPAC-backed mayor Melissa Hernandez, who received 46.9%. Wahab&#8217;s term in the House will be temporary until January,as she and Hernandez are set to face each other again in the November election for a full two-year term. wahab publicly acknowledged that she considers Israeli actions in Gaza as a genocide, while hernandez called for Israel&#8217;s right to defend itself but also expressed concern over the extent of destruction.<\/p>\n<p>AIPAC&#8217;s heavy spending in the race drew scrutiny, especially given Wahab&#8217;s brief tenure, with some analysts suggesting the election was more about messaging then the seat itself. The loss in California follows mixed results for AIPAC in the 2026 midterm season, including victories in Missouri but losses elsewhere, such as Michigan. The race was also notable for Swalwell&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kimmels-bromance-with-disgraced-eric-swalwell-burns-out-but-pro-dem-bias-remains\/\" title=\"Kimmel&#039;s Bromance With Disg...d Swalwell Burns Out\">resignation amid sexual misconduct allegations<\/a>, prompting an FBI inquiry into his electronic devices.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democratic state Sen. Aisha Wahab won the special election for former Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/eric-swalwell\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"2345\">Eric Swalwell<\/a>\u2018s seat in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"60\">California<\/a>\u2018s 14th Congressional District, after the American Israel Public Affairs Committee <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4683012\/aipac-gamble-california-special-election\/\">dumped<\/a> $4.4 million into the race.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wahab earned 53.1% of the vote by Thursday evening, according to the <em>Associated Press<\/em>, after winning the primary by 26 points. Her opponent, AIPAC-backed Democratic mayor Melissa Hernandez, won 46.9% of the vote. The progressive state senator will only serve in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-of-representatives\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"93\">House of Representatives<\/a> until January with this election victory. Wahab and Hernandez will face off again in the November election for a full two-year term.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4695391\/mike-rogers-data-center-moratorium\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Mike Rogers backs data center moratorium as some GOP candidates shift against AI<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4695482\/aisha-wahab-election-victory-aipac\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Aisha Wahab wins California House special election in defiance of AIPAC money flood<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4694907\/house-republican-campaign-arm-posts-best-year-to-date-fundraising\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>House Republican campaign arm posts best year-to-date fundraising haul in committee history<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked by a moderator in an April debate whether she saw Israeli actions in Gaza as a genocide, Wahab <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=To0gHGK4Bb0&#038;t=5074s\">answered<\/a> \u201cyes.\u201d Hernandez refused to answer yes or no and said \u201cIsrael had the right to defend itself.\u201d However, the mayor also said, \u201cThe destruction in Gaza has gone too far.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AIPAC\u2019s large expenditure raised eyebrows, especially considering the limited time Wahab will serve in the seat thanks to this win. However, some analysts view the race as an attempt by AIPAC to send a message, which failed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhy spend millions against a candidate who won by 26 points?\u201d progressive political analyst and radio host Thom Hartmann previously told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cBecause the seat was never the point.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4683012\/aipac-gamble-california-special-election\/\">AIPAC\u2019S $4.4 MILLION GAMBLE ON A CALIFORNIA SPECIAL ELECTION<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The defeat follows a mixed record for the Israeli advocacy organization in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"11675\">2026 midterm season.<\/a> The group lost in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/michigan\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"655\">Michigan<\/a> Senate race, where the progressive critic of Israel, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/abdul-el-sayed\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"23138\">Abdul el Sayed<\/a>, won the election despite AIPAC spending over $30 million to support Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) and oppose el Sayed\u2019s candidacy. However, the organization also scored wins in Missouri, where Rep. Wesley Bell (D-MO) defeated progressive former Rep. Cori Bush in the Democratic primary election.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The seat Wahab won was opened when Swalwell resigned from his post due to allegations of sexual misconduct. The FBI <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/4694598\/fbi-raid-eric-swalwell-property-seizes-devices-sexual-misconduct-investigation\/\">seized<\/a> the former representative\u2019s electronic devices on Thursday, as part of a federal criminal investigation into the allegations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Aisha Wahab wins California House seat amid $4.4M AIPAC spending<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3892,"featured_media":2647566,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26231144396667.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[84472,84471,37666,84473,37103],"class_list":["post-2647565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-aipac-controversy","tag-aisha-wahab","tag-california-politics","tag-electoral-defiance","tag-special-election"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26231144396667.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2647565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3892"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2647565"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2647565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2647569,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2647565\/revisions\/2647569"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2647566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2647565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2647565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2647565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}