Afrasianet - Progressive Democrat Aisha Wahab won a special election for California's U.S. House seat over Melissa Hernandez, in a race that saw significant spending from pro-Israel lobbyists.
Wahab, a member of the California State Senate, has decided to run for remainder of the term of former Rep. Eric Sewell, who has left his seat in the House of Representatives, according to estimates by Reason Desk HQ.
Wahab is seen as one of the rising figures in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, and her victory came despite a massive spending campaign aimed at blocking her access to Congress.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) was one of the most prominent actors involved in the race, with its political arm, the United Democracy Project, spending about $2.5 million to support Hernandez and attack Wahab, with other groups spending additional money in the same direction, according to The Hill.
The two candidates' stance on Israel's brutal war on the Gaza Strip has become a prominent focus of the election campaign. Wahab has called what is happening in Gaza a "genocide" and opposed unconditional U.S. aid to Israel, calling for a change in U.S. policy toward the war.
Hernandez refrained from calling what was happening in Gaza a "genocide" and said Israel had the right to defend itself, but acknowledged that the destruction in the Gaza Strip had been "excessive."
Wahab's positions clearly indicate that she belongs to the progressive current within the Democratic Party, which has become more critical of unconditional U.S. support for Israel, especially in light of the human toll and widespread destruction in the Gaza Strip.
Her victory is all the more important because of the amount of money poured into the race by pro-Israel groups, making the result a political setback for AIPAC in a democratic district that was considered safe for the party.
Wahab and Hernandez are also running separately for a full two-year term in the 14th Congressional District, which includes parts of Alameda County, making the special election a key indicator of the direction of the race ahead.
Wahab's victory, according to observers, reflects the continued rise of progressive candidates within the Democratic Party, especially those who take more hawkish stances on the war in Gaza and reject continued unconditional U.S. support for Israel.
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