SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) 鈥� California state Sen. will serve out the rest of former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s term after securing victory Thursday in a special election.
Swalwell, a Democrat who was running for California governor, ended his campaign and resigned from Congress in April after he was and harassment, which he denies. Wahab will represent the state鈥檚 14th Congressional District, which covers parts of Alameda County on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, through Swalwell’s term ending in January.
She will be the first Afghan American to serve in Congress. The progressive Democrat defeated Bay Area Rapid Transit Director Melissa Hernandez even after a swell of spending by outside groups opposing Wahab in the race’s final stretch. She said her victory shows her district 鈥渃annot be bought.鈥�
鈥淚 will fight for this district that raised me,鈥� Wahab said in a statement. “From foster care to Congress, this journey shows the possibility of the American Dream.鈥�
The conclusion of the race to replace Swalwell comes as into the sexual assault allegations he faces. Over the weekend, federal agents seized electronic devices from Swalwell at the San Francisco airport and later searched his home in Washington, D.C., according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke on the condition of anonymity. Swalwell鈥檚 attorney did not immediately respond to an email and phone message seeking comment.
Wahab became the first Afghan American elected to public office in the U.S. when she won a Hayward City Council seat in 2018.
She has championed housing affordability and access in her time in the Legislature and throughout her campaign. She also wrote a bill in 2023 to ban caste-based discrimination, which garnered national attention. , saying such discrimination is already outlawed by civil rights protections.
Wahab and Hernandez will face off again in a separate November election determining who will serve the next full two-year term.
Wahab won the June primary decisively, but outside spending in favor of her rival poured into the race ahead of the general election.. Groups affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, spent millions into supporting Hernandez, and thousands into opposing Wahab.
At a candidate forum in April, Wahab answered 鈥測es鈥� when asked if she considered 鈥渨hat is happening to the Palestinian people鈥� to be a genocide.
Hernandez did not give a straight yes or no answer. She said Israel had a right to defend itself following the October 2023 attack by Hamas but that 鈥渢he destruction into Gaza has gone too far.鈥�
Hernandez, a moderate Democrat, said she was proud to put up a competitive fight after Wahab鈥檚 success in the primary.
鈥淚鈥檝e been a fighter my whole life, and when I promised the residents of CA-14 I would fight for them, I never gave up,鈥� she said in a statement.
___
Associated Press reporter Alanna Durkin Richer contributed from Washington.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
