{"id":255138,"date":"2026-08-18T21:19:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T21:19:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/255138\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T21:19:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T21:19:14","slug":"israel-focused-california-primary-pits-progressive-against-aipac-backed-moderate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/255138\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel-focused California primary pits progressive against AIPAC-backed moderate"},"content":{"rendered":"

JTA \u2014 AIPAC and its allies have poured millions of dollars into a California special election, transforming a race between two Democrats into a battleground over the pro-Israel group\u2019s place in Democratic politics.<\/p>\n

The spending in the Bay Area\u2019s 14th congressional district is aimed at boosting Melissa Hernandez, a moderate Democrat and president of the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board, over Aisha Wahab, a progressive state senator who supports ending US military aid to Israel.<\/p>\n

Wahab replied \u201cyes\u201d during an April debate when asked whether Israel\u2019s war in Gaza constituted a genocide. In contrast, Hernandez declined to give a yes-or-no answer, instead saying that Israel had a right to defend itself following the October 7, 2023, attacks, but that the \u201cdestruction into Gaza has gone too far.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wahab remains the favorite heading into Tuesday\u2019s election to replace former Rep. Eric Swalwell, a reliable supporter of Israel in Congress who resigned in April amid sexual misconduct allegations that he has denied. Wahab finished ahead of Hernandez in the election\u2019s June 16 special primary, receiving 42.8 percent of the vote compared to Hernandez\u2019s 16.8%.<\/p>\n

The United Democracy Project, AIPAC\u2019s main super PAC, has poured close to $2.5 million into boosting Hernandez and attacking Wahab this election cycle, while Bold America, another group that has received funding from the United Democracy Project, has spent roughly $1.8 million, according to The Hill.<\/p>\n

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When asked about the AIPAC spending in the race by the Pleasanton Weekly, Hernandez replied, \u201cI have no say over independent expenditures. That is the law, and I see them when you do.\u201d<\/p>\n

3 different AIPAC-linked groups have been spending to boost #CA14<\/a> candidate Melissa Hernandez and oppose @aishabbwahab<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Passthrough PACs in use:
???? Pro-Choice Majority Action
???? BOLD America
???? SD 2026<\/p>\n

Total spend is now >$2.1 million. pic.twitter.com\/UYuBZChu2G<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 AIPAC Tracker (@TrackAIPAC) July 27, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

She added: \u201cI have thousands of donors and not one of them sets my agenda.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

But while the Bay Area race has become one of the the latest focuses of the pro-Israel lobby, following a costly defeat by Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan\u2019s Democratic Senate primary, Israel has hardly been a defining issue in the contest, and Wahab has not neatly fit the mold of other progressive candidates the group has targeted this election cycle.<\/p>\n

Wahab, who is the child of Afghan refugees, has centered her campaign on affordability issues and civil rights. While her campaign website calls for \u201cNo More Wars!\u201d it does not specifically reference the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Citing the civilian toll in US military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya, her site reads, \u201cWe cannot bomb our way to lasting peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hernandez, who previously served as the mayor of Dublin, California, has focused her campaign on lowering costs and her commitments to fighting crime and increasing public safety.<\/p>\n

Wahab, 39, has drawn endorsements from a host of labor unions, the California Democratic Party and Our Revolution, the group formed by Sen. Bernie Sanders to advance the progressive movement. Hernandez, 51, meanwhile, has received endorsements from several police and fire unions, as well as Democratic Jewish Reps. Lois Frankel of Florida and Brad Schneider of Illinois.<\/p>\n

During a Thursday appearance on the livestream of Hasan Piker, who has faced accusations of antisemitism, Wahab said that she would have voted for the Stop the Bombs Act and supported ending all US aid to Israel, though she stipulated that \u201chumanitarian aid is important to me too.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the livestream, Wahab also touted a September 2025 resolution she co-authored with Jewish state Senator Scott Wiener, which called for the \u201cend to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the immediate release of all hostages.\u201d The resolution was also signed by members of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tCalifiornia state Sen. Aisha Wahab proposes SB 403, a bill which adds caste as a protected category in the state\u2019s anti-discrimination laws, in Sacramento, Calif., March 22, 2023. (AP Photo\/Jos\u00e9 Luis Villegas)<\/p>\n

In 2021, Wahab also collaborated with local Jewish leaders on a fundraiser for Afghan refugee resettlement in the aftermath of the US pullout from the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cI work well with the Jewish community. I\u2019m very proud to support them. They\u2019re my constituents,\u201d Wahab said on the livestream.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs an Afghan, you know, I really deeply want to ensure that all people feel welcomed and safe and secure in this nation. And we know that there\u2019s a rise in antisemitism. We know all of that,\u201d Wahab continued. \u201cBut that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t criticize a foreign nation. You can\u2019t criticize their leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wahab attributed the volume of AIPAC spending in the race to \u201cpure racism and prejudice,\u201d saying that her \u201cJewish Senate colleagues are literally confused as to why they are spending this much money against me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA flyer is seen in a door for Melissa Hernandez, a Democratic candidate for Congress in California\u2019s 14th district on June 14, 2026, in Pleasanton, Calif. (AP Photo\/Annie Barker)<\/p>\n

As Wahab pushes back on the attack ads, she has also garnered $200,000 in support from American Priorities, a pro-Palestinian PAC that formed as a counterweight to AIPAC.<\/p>\n

The liberal pro-Israel lobby J Street Action Fund also announced Thursday that it was spending $100,000 to support Wahab.<\/p>\n

Tali deGroot, the group\u2019s vice president of political and digital strategy, said in a statement that AIPAC\u2019s spending against her marked another \u201ccynical attempt\u201d to \u201cdefeat a candidate who won\u2019t rubber-stamp their agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAIPAC\u2019s super PAC has failed time and again this cycle, and we expect this latest attempt to take Republican billionaire dollars and buy a Democratic primary to fail as well,\u201d said deGroot. \u201cVoters in the 14th deserve better, and they deserve a Member of Congress who will bring the kind of clear-eyed, nuanced and compassionate leadership that Dr. Wahab has shown throughout her career.\u201d<\/p>\n


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