AIPAC spends millions in California House special election runoff

AIPAC and its affiliated super PAC, United Democracy Project, have invested millions of dollars into a special House runoff election in California’s 14th district. The race features two Democrats: progressive candidate Aisha Wahab and moderate candidate Melissa Hernandez.

The winner will serve the remainder of the term vacated by former Representative Eric Swalwell, following his resignation. While Wahab was the frontrunner in previous elections, the influx of outside spending—estimated at approximately $5 million to oppose Wahab—has intensified the contest between the Democratic Party’s progressive and moderate factions.

The runoff, which will decide a term lasting roughly three months, serves as a broader indicator of the internal party struggle regarding foreign policy and support for Israel. This follows other high-profile instances where AIPAC-linked groups spent heavily on Democratic primary contests with varying degrees of success.