Posted on 08/20/2026 10:01:47 PM PDT by KingofZion
State Sen. Aisha Wahab won the special election Thursday to complete former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s term, overcoming more than $5 million in outside spending favoring her opponent and becoming the first Afghan American elected to Congress.
Wahab widened her lead over BART Board President Melissa Hernandez to 53% to 47% in the latest returns. Wahab had 51,610 votes to Hernandez’s 45,598, an insurmountable margin with just 255 ballots left to cure.
Wahab will complete Swalwell’s term, which expires in January, before facing Hernandez again Nov. 3 for a full two-year term...
The race tightened dramatically after outside political groups poured millions of dollars into advertising ahead of Tuesday’s runoff. Wahab had defeated Hernandez by roughly 26 percentage points in the June special primary, compared with her 6-point victory Tuesday.
Outside groups have spent more than $5 million to support Hernandez or oppose Wahab. That includes more than $2.4 million from United Democracy Project, the super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, according to financial disclosures.
By comparison, outside groups supporting Wahab, primarily labor-aligned organizations and the Alameda County Democratic Party, spent more than $890,000 during the race.
Following her defeat, Hernandez emphasized how sharply she narrowed Wahab’s earlier advantage and looked ahead to their November rematch.
“In just 63 days, we closed a gap from 26,000 votes to 6,000 votes by sharing our message of lowering housing costs, creating jobs, and supporting strong public safety,” Hernandez said Thursday afternoon.
“We’re looking forward to winning this on November 3rd with a more favorable district and a much larger electorate,” she added. “Game on!”
Congressional District 14 spans southern Alameda County and the Tri-Valley, including parts of Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Dublin and Pleasanton.
Swalwell resigned from Congress and ended his gubernatorial campaign earlier this year...
(Excerpt) Read more at eastbaytimes.com ...
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In a sane world I would have more palatable choices, but I am hoping we can turn this one around. We don't need to elect new squad members.
WIKI
Wahab was born in Queens, New York City, to refugees who fled Afghanistan amid the Soviet–Afghan War in the 1980s. Soon after her birth, her father was murdered and his murder was never solved and her mother died shortly thereafter, leaving Wahab and her sister in foster care. Wahab and her sister were adopted by an Afghan couple in Fremont, California, where she was raised. She graduated from John F. Kennedy High School and Ohlone College before earning a bachelor of arts in political science from San Jose State University in 2010.
During and after college, Wahab was an account manager and business development director for various startup companies in the Bay Area. In 2011, economic impacts of the Great Recession caused Wahab to be laid off from her job and her parents to lose their business. When Wahab’s parents’ home was foreclosed on, the family was priced out of Fremont and forced to move to Hayward, California, where they became renters.
In 2024, Wahab completed a doctorate in social work through the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work at the University of Southern California.
Wahab initially criticized SB 79, a pro-development bill led by Scott Wiener that would allow apartment buildings near mass transit stations without local control and traditional zoning regulations. Wahab voiced early concerns and said she would support increases in housing supply if developers subsidize more affordable housing and if the housing comes with a minimum number of parking spaces. According to CalMatters, Wahab’s opposition to SB 79 “nearly killed” the legislation due to her role as chair of the housing committee. Wahab initially voted against SB 79 but supported it when Newsom signed it after numerous amendments.
In testimony before the 2026 Senate Housing Committee, Wahab has highlighted the importance of preserving existing affordable housing, including mobile home parks, as part of efforts to address California’s housing shortage, noting that several of the state’s largest mobile home communities are located in her district.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aisha_Wahab
Why don’t Americans run for Congress anymore?
No such thing as an “Afghan American. This hyphen bs had GOT to stop.
Teddy Roosevelts words about immigration, the immigrant and what it is to be an American needs to be on bill boards 100 feet high from coast to coast.
Irony. In Afghanistan women are little better than slaves.
According to the article, they ‘cure’ ballots in California ..
Still wondering how things would be different if Mike Ditka had run against obammyboy.
The foreign islamists continue to advance the invasion unencumbered by any significantly effective resistance...
Oh goody. Another America hating female import from an Islamic s hole. Surprised she isn’t a judge already.
That's an unfamiliar term (in this context) to me. Can anybody help me out and explain its meaning? Is it a shortened form of "to curate?!" I assume that it means "to count" - but I'd like to know whether or not this expression has genuinely entered mainstream use in America.
Or is this simply an artifact of A.I. slop?
Regards,
Like: In a smokehouse?!
Regards,
They plan to murder my family.
I will be in their way.
Allahu Snackbar!
Very nice - named for the world’s most famous statutory rape victim. Attested by the rapists closest friends and the victim.
Curing a ballot is *the* term of art for a ballot which fails on a technicality but is legally “curable” by several methods. Perhaps someone questions the signature as authentic - you can contact the person who apparently submitted the ballot and have them examine the ballot and state whether they did or did not submit the ballot - perhaps even have them sign their name again to compare again.
This term, “curing a ballot,” has been commonly used for decades in my memory.
For the record, it’s 33 states, if you think my claim is extraordinary and requires extraordinary evidence...
https://ballotpedia.org/Cure_period_for_absentee_and_mail-in_ballots
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