Aisha Wahab first Afghan-American elected to US Congress

Washington: 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, a progressive Democrat and 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, 39, 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. He has denied the allegations.

Wahab will serve the remainder of Swalwell’s term, which ends in January. She and Hernandez are scheduled to compete again in November for a full congressional term in a district redrawn under a map approved by California voters last year.

Her victory came despite significant spending by outside organisations supporting Hernandez, who was viewed as the more moderate candidate.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s principal super political action committee was among the groups that spent millions of dollars supporting Hernandez during the final weeks of the campaign.

Wahab had comfortably finished ahead of Hernandez in the June primary, but the contest became tighter as the special election approached.

She was endorsed by 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, president of the Bay Area Rapid Transit board, was supported 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 presented the result as a rejection of the heavy outside spending in the contest and a milestone for Afghan Americans.

“From foster care to Congress, this journey shows the possibility of the American Dream,” Wahab said. “Today this district made history by electing the first Afghan American to Congress.”

Wahab’s personal story featured prominently in her campaign. Her 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, winning a seat on the Hayward City Council. Four years later, she was elected to the California state Senate.

Wahab previously launched a campaign for the congressional seat then held by Swalwell while he was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. She ended that bid after Swalwell withdrew from the 2020 presidential race.

She announced her latest congressional campaign in January, after Swalwell began a campaign for governor of California. His subsequent resignation created the vacancy that led to the special election.

IANS