In a historic special election, California State Senator Aisha Wahab has broken new ground as the first Afghan American ever elected to the U.S. Congress. The Democrat, known for her progressive stance, narrowly defeated fellow party member Melissa Hernandez in California’s 14th Congressional District on Thursday, despite a late surge of outside spending that threatened her campaign.
The race, which initially seemed poised for a Wahab landslide after she led Hernandez by over 25 points in the June primary, tightened considerably in the final stretch. Outside groups, particularly those tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), poured an estimated $6.3 million to $6.4 million into advertising that boosted Hernandez and attacked Wahab. Ultimately, Wahab prevailed by roughly six percentage points with most ballots counted.
Her victory not only secures a new voice for Afghan Americans and Muslims on Capitol Hill but also underscores the rising clout of the Democratic Party’s progressive faction—a trend mirrored in Michigan, where Muslim physician Abdul El-Sayed recently won his party’s U.S. Senate nomination despite heavy spending from pro-Israel groups.
A record 255 Muslim elected officials now hold public office across 26 states, according to the newly released 2026 Directory of Elected Muslim Officials, announced today by CAIR and CAIR Action, the nation’s premier Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization.
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said: “This record-breaking number represents far more than a statistic. It reflects an American Muslim community that is increasingly engaged, organized and committed to serving our nation.
“From Congress and state legislatures to city councils, school boards and local governments, Muslim Americans are stepping forward to serve their neighbors and strengthen our democracy. At a time of heightened anti-Muslim rhetoric, these public servants send a powerful message that American Muslims will continue to participate freely and fearlessly in the civic life of our nation.”
Wahab’s personal story adds profound resonance to her win. Born in Queens, New York, to Afghan refugees who fled the Soviet-Afghan war in the 1980s, she lost her father to an unsolved murder and her mother soon after, leaving her and her sister in foster care. They were later adopted by an Afghan couple in Fremont, California, where she grew up. “From foster care to Congress, this journey shows the possibility of the American Dream,” she said in a statement.
“It is the American dream to go from foster care to refugee parents to Congress,” Aisha Wahab told CNN after her victory.
Aisha Wahab is the first Afghan-American elected to Congress.
She shares with @Elex_Michaelson what that means to her.
“It is the American dream to go from foster care to refugee parents to Congress,” @aishabbwahab said. pic.twitter.com/0BkWulm9HR
— The Story Is (@CNNTheStoryIs) August 21, 2026
She will serve the remainder of former Representative Eric Swalwell’s term—he resigned in April amid sexual misconduct allegations he denies—and will face Hernandez again in November for a full two-year term.
Wahab’s political career includes a 2022 election to the California State Senate, where she was both the first Muslim and first Afghan American to serve. She holds a bachelor’s in political science from San Jose State University and a doctorate in social work from the University of Southern California.
On foreign policy, Wahab has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, labeling the invasion as genocide and advocating for a free Palestine. She also supports cutting U.S. military aid to Israel, while distinguishing that from humanitarian assistance. In 2025, she co-authored a California Senate resolution—crafted with input from the bipartisan California Legislative Jewish Caucus—calling for an end to Gaza’s humanitarian crisis and the release of hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
Her ascent arrives at a moment when progressive Muslim candidates are gaining ground nationally, signaling a shifting political landscape ahead of the November elections.
Iftikhar Ali is a veteran Pakistani journalist, former president of UN Correspondents Association, and a recipient of the Pride of Performance civil award
