Aisha Wahab. Photo from americankahani.com
Aisha Wahab, a Democrat and California state senator, won the special election in California’s 14th Congressional District, becoming the first politician of Afghan descent elected to the U.S. Congress. This was reported by Khaama Press, citing Decision Desk HQ.
Wahab, the daughter of Afghan refugees, defeated her Democratic Party rival Melissa Hernandez. According to ArianaNews, with 95% of the votes counted, Wahab had secured more than 53%, compared with about 47% for Hernandez.
Wahab will fill the seat of former Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell, who resigned in April 2026 following allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denies. Wahab’s term will run until January 2027.
Wahab’s victory is historic not only for the Afghan diaspora but for American politics as a whole. In 2018, she became the first Afghan American woman elected to public office in the United States, winning a seat on the Hayward, California, City Council. In 2022, she made history again as the first Muslim woman and the first Afghan American elected to the California State Senate.
Aisha Wahab was born in 1987 in New York to an Afghan family that fled the Soviet-Afghan war. Her father was killed when she was young, and her mother died shortly afterwards. Aisha and her sister grew up in foster care before being adopted by an Afghan couple from Fremont, California. Wahab earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from San Jose State University, an MBA from California State University, East Bay, and a doctorate in social work from the University of Southern California. Before entering politics, she worked in the technology and nonprofit sectors.
Wahab advocates Medicare for All, higher taxes on billionaires, abortion rights and changes to immigration policy, including the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In 2023, Wahab introduced a bill to ban caste discrimination that drew national attention, but California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed it.
Following the election, Democrats held 213 seats in the House of Representatives, while Republicans retained 218. Wahab and Hernandez will face each other again in November 2026, this time for a full two-year term in Congress.
