Aipac-linked Super Pacs spend millions in California to thwart progressive candidate

Super PACs tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) have poured millions into a California congressional race, aiming to block a progressive Democrat from securing Eric Swalwell's former seat. Aisha Wahab, a state senator endorsed by the California Democratic Party, is considered the frontrunner in the special election for the East Bay district. She previously outpaced her closest competitor, former Dublin mayor Melissa Hernandez, by over 20 points in both a June primary and a special election to fill the remainder of Swalwell's term. The two will face off in a runoff election later this month and again in November.

Recent weeks have seen Super PACs inject more than $5 million into the race. This funding supports ads backing Hernandez and attacking Wahab. Specifically, the United Democracy Project, backed by Aipac, contributed $1.2 million, while Bold America PAC, which receives significant funding from United Democracy Project, added $2.1 million, according to Politico. Track Aipac, an organization monitoring Aipac's political funding, reported that the lobby has spent over $4.4 million to support Hernandez in this specific race.

Aipac, a prominent pro-Israel lobby and one of the largest Super PACs in the U.S., has notably increased its political spending. Earlier this week, The New York Times reported that Aipac has doubled its expenditures to $67.2 million, primarily targeting Democratic primaries. The organization previously spent millions to support moderate Haley Stevens in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, though progressive Abdul El-Sayed ultimately won that contest.

Wahab has publicly addressed the negative advertisements targeting her, urging voters to approach her directly with questions about her record. She has also accused Hernandez of avoiding debates and relying on

“

We're not going to let this race be bought by outside interests.