# California lawmaker overcomes pro-Israel spending to win special election

https://mins.news/en/item/28977

- Al Jazeera, 2026-08-22 00:38 UTC
- Politics
- Original: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/22/california-lawmaker-overcomes-pro-israel-spending-to-win-special-election?traffic_source=rss

> California state Senator Aisha Wahab has won a special election for the state’s 14th congressional district, defeating moderate Democrat Melissa Hernandez after pro-Israel groups spent millions of dollars supporting her rival. Wahab, a progressive, is set to become the first Afghan American member of Congress and will serve the remainder of Eric Swalwell’s term.

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