Aisha Wahab becomes first Afghan-American elected to US Congress

Wahab’s parents fled Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion and settled in New York City, where she was born in 1987.

Aisha Wahab, a progressive Democrat, won the special election to California’s 14th congressional district, making her the first Afghan-American elected to the US Congress.

Wahab, 39, defeated moderate Democrat Melissa Hernandez in the election for the seat vacated by Eric Swalwell amid accusations of sexual misconduct.

“From foster care to Congress, this journey shows the possibility of the American Dream. Today this district made history by electing the first Afghan American to Congress,” Wahab said in a statement after the poll results were announced.

Wahab polled 53.09 per cent of the total votes cast against Hernandez’s 46.91 per cent in the results announced on Thursday, two days after election day.

While Wahab will serve the remainder of Swalwell’s term until January 20 next year, she is now poised for a contentious rematch with Hernandez in November when they compete for a full term.

Wahab’s parents fled Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion and settled in New York City, where she was born in 1987.

Her father was murdered soon after and her mother died not long after that. Wahab and her older sister grew up in the foster care system until they were adopted by an Afghan American couple in Fremont, when Wahab was about 9.

In 2018, she became the first Afghan American woman elected to public office in the US when she won a seat on the Hayward City Council. In 2022, she became the first Muslim woman elected to the California State Senate.

As a state Senator, Wahab introduced a bill to ban caste discrimination in California, which led to strong opposition from Indian-Americans. The bill passed both the California Congress and the Senate but was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom.

“Congratulations @aishabbwahab on your victory in CA-14! Wishing you strength, wisdom, success, and support to represent CA-14 in Congress,” Ajay Jain Bhutoria, a former White House advisor during the Biden Administration, said in a post on X.