AIPAC gets credit for turning landslide into 'real nail-biter' in special CA election, in which anti-Israel Dem defeats candidate backed by pro-Israel group
Aisha Wahab, an anti-Israel state senator, defeated Melissa Hernandez, a former mayor of Dublin, Calif., whom AIPAC has supported, in the special election to replace former Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell.With 95% of votes counted in California’s 14th Congressional District, Wahab had 51,610 votes (53.1%) to 45,598 votes (46.9%) for Hernandez.Wahab has accused Israel of “genocide.” Hernandez has said that “Israel had the right to defend itself” after Oct. 7 but that “the destruction in Gaza has gone too far.” Super PACS tied to AIPAC spent more than $4.4 million in the race opposing Wahab and supporting Hernandez, according to federal data.Jared Sclar, a Democratic consultant in San Diego who consulted on Hernandez’s 2020 campaign for Alameda County Board of Supervisors, told JNS that “the headline is that AIPAC spent millions and lost.”“The more useful story is that the money moved this race about 20 points and still came up short,”…
Aisha Wahab, an anti-Israel state senator, defeated Melissa Hernandez, a candidate supported by AIPAC, in a special election for California's 14th Congressional District. Wahab secured 53.1% of the vote to Hernandez's 46.9%. AIPAC-tied Super PACs spent over $4.4 million opposing Wahab and supporting Hernandez. Despite the loss, political consultant Jared Sclar noted that AIPAC's spending moved the race by approximately 20 points, turning an expected landslide into a close contest. Dan Schnur, a political science lecturer, stated that "AIPAC deserves credit for turning what would have been a landslide into a real nail-biter." Both candidates will face each other again in November for the full term, with Sclar predicting a "genuinely competitive rematch." Tali Klima of the Bay Area Jewish Coalition-Action expressed concern over Wahab's election and the use of "antisemitic tropes" by her campaign.
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