US elections: Aisha Wahab becomes first Afghan-American in Congress

US elections: Aisha Wahab becomes first Afghan-American in Congress Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 08/21/2026 - 18:19 Wahab will assume the seat of Eric Swalwell, who resigned in April, but she will still compete in the November midterms California State Senator Aisha Wahab speaks to reporters during an election night watch party at Firefighters Local 1909 in Hayward, California on 18 August 2026 (Heather Diehl/Getty Images via AFP) Off The first Afghan-American to take a seat in the US Congress will represent California, following an election which saw a well-financed campaign led by pro-Israel voices to defeat her. Aisha Wahab, a progressive California state senator, was declared the winner of the tight runoff election in her state's 14th district on Thursday, some 48 hours after polls closed. The district includes the cities of Fremont and Hayward, and is located north of San Jose, along the San Francisco bay.