Washington, August 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
California state Senator Aisha Wahab has won a special election to the US House of Representatives, becoming the first Afghan American elected to Congress.
Wahab, 39, a progressive Democrat and the daughter of Afghan refugees, defeated fellow Democrat Melissa Hernandez in California’s 14th Congressional District.
“This victory belongs to the voters who made clear that our district cannot be bought,” Wahab said on social media after the result.
She will succeed former Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell, who resigned from the House in April amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Swalwell has denied the allegations. Wahab will serve the remainder of his term, which expires in January.
Wahab and Hernandez are expected to face each other again in November in the race for a full congressional term, in a district redrawn under a map approved by California voters last year.
Her victory came despite substantial spending by outside groups backing Hernandez, who was regarded as the more moderate candidate. The principal super PAC of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee was among the organisations that spent millions of dollars supporting Hernandez in the final weeks of the campaign.
Wahab had finished comfortably ahead of Hernandez in the June primary, although the race tightened as the special election drew closer.
She received the endorsement of the California Democratic Party and prominent progressive lawmakers, including Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar and Indian American Representative Pramila Jayapal, a former chair of the caucus.
Hernandez, who serves as president of the Bay Area Rapid Transit board, was backed by the campaign arm of the centrist New Democrat Coalition and 11 members of California’s congressional delegation. Her supporters included Representatives Zoe Lofgren and Sam Liccardo.
Wahab portrayed her victory as a rejection of heavy outside spending and a landmark moment for Afghan Americans.
“From foster care to Congress, this journey shows the possibility of the American Dream,” she said. “Today this district made history by electing the first Afghan American to Congress.”
Her personal journey was central to her campaign. Wahab’s father was murdered when she was a child and her mother later died. Wahab and her sister spent time in foster care before being adopted by an Afghan couple in California’s San Francisco Bay Area.
She entered electoral politics in 2018 after winning a seat on the Hayward City Council and was elected to the California State Senate four years later.
Wahab had previously launched a campaign for the congressional seat held by Swalwell while he was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. She ended that campaign after Swalwell withdrew from the 2020 presidential race.
She announced her latest congressional bid in January after Swalwell launched a campaign for governor of California. His subsequent resignation created the vacancy that triggered the special election.
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