By winning the special runoff election in California’s 14th Congressional District, Aisha Wahab became the first Afghan American elected to the U.S. Congress. Wahab received 53.1% of the vote, while her Democratic opponent, Melissa Hernandez, received 46.9%.
The election was held to fill the seat left vacant after former U.S. House member Eric Swalwell resigned following sexual assault allegations.

Wahab also made history in the California Senate
Wahab ran on a pro-Palestinian progressive Democratic platform and had previously become the first Muslim and first Afghan American elected to the California Senate.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee contributed approximately $3 million to the campaign of Hernandez, who ran on a pro-Israel platform. Of the approximately $4 million spent on the two campaigns since July, $3.7 million went toward Hernandez.
The candidates will face each other again in November
Speaking to CBS television in San Francisco, Wahab said she was proud that voters had chosen her despite the millions of dollars coming into the district from outside and rhetoric she said did not reflect reality.
In an interview with the same channel, Hernandez said the redrawn map of the 14th Congressional District included 26,000 more voters. Saying she was confident about her chances in the November rematch, Hernandez said she aimed to win back the city of Dublin, where she had previously served as mayor, along with thousands of voters there.
Wahab and Hernandez will face each other for a second time on Nov. 3 as part of the midterm elections.