Afghan American Makes Historic House Win | Fresno News

Aisha Wahab is poised to make history as the first Afghan American in Congress after winning a special election in California’s heavily Democratic district near San Francisco and San Jose, narrowly defeating Melissa Hernandez. With this victory, Democrats now hold 213 seats in the House, while Republicans hold 218. Wahab, who previously broke barriers as the first Muslim woman and Afghan American elected to the California state legislature, will take office after Eric Swalwell’s departure. The race was heavily influenced by outside spending — a pro-Israel lobbying group funneled nearly $2.5 million to support Hernandez, sparking controversy among progressive Democrats over U.S. policy toward Israel. Wahab’s platform centers on reducing inequality and previously advanced a bill to ban caste discrimination, vetoed by the governor. The two will face off again in November’s general election, where the winner will serve a full two-year term — and Wahab’s historic candidacy is already shaping national conversations. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/945cb8c6be47177d