By Brooke Anderson

 

WASHINGTON, 18 August. - (ANA) - The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) are pouring millions of dollars into defeating frontrunner Aisha Wahab in a special election on Tuesday in northern California, where the winner would serve for only five months.

 

It might seem unusual to invest a significant amount of money–approximately $5 million by most estimates–into a special election in the last months of a congressional term.

 

However, this seat–in a wealthy and diverse district in the country’s most populous state–is widely considered an important race for AIPAC, which have repeatedly been on the losing side of key races in the 2026 midterms.

 

“It’s not about Aisha Wahab. It’s what the seat represents,” Mirvette Judeh, president of the Arab American Caucus of California, told The New Arab.

 

"Her win will encourage the participation of Arab and Muslim voters. They understand what that means. We’re winning all over the country. Of course, they’re going to spend all this massive money," she said.

 

Wahab, a state senator and the daughter of Afghan immigrants, is running on a platform of affordable housing, healthcare and childcare. If elected, she would be the first Afghan American in Congress. She is a progressive who has garnered endorsements from across the spectrum of the Democratic Party.

 

She is running to fill the empty seat in California’s District 14, previously held by Eric Swalwell, who resigned in disgrace in April following allegations of sexual misconduct. Though this election is for a term that would only last five months, the winner would have a significant advantage as an incumbent in November.

 

Wahab has not been particularly vocal on Israel, though in September 2025 she introduced a resolution calling for an end to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. She has mainly focused her campaign on local issues. Nevertheless, AIPAC have backed ads that portrayed her as soft on crime. The ads have become so prevalent that she has a section on her website addressing them.

 

"Our opponent [Melissa Hernandez] has lost both primaries by more than 20 points. Instead of running on a record of results, she is relying on misleading attacks and AIPAC-linked dark-money PACs to tear Aisha Wahab down," reads a statement on Wahab's campaign website.

 

"It's interesting because the audience seems to be national and not local. I was curious: why spend money and come in rather late? The reason would be to send a message to other Democratics, to temper other Democrats on their position on Israel," David Frank, a professor of rhetoric and political communication at the University of Oregon, told TNA.

 

In response to these ads, earlier this month J Street, launched a six-figure independent expenditure campaign to support Wahab, an indication of the national significance of the race.

 

"This is once again a cynical attempt by AIPAC to defeat a candidate who won’t rubber-stamp their agenda," said J Street's vice president of political and digital strategy, Tali deGroot, said in a public statement. "AIPAC's super PAC has failed time and again this cycle, and we expect this latest attempt to take Republican billionaire dollars and buy a Democratic primary to fail as well."

 

As of Monday morning, the day before the election, Wahab continues to hold a wide lead, with the prediction markets heavily favoring her to win.

 

"If they beat her up and she still wins, that will embolden her." said Judeh. "It's not just about a seat. It’s a message."   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/18 August 2026 - - -