Super Pacs tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) have spent millions in a California congressional race, aiming to prevent a progressive Democrat from winning Eric Swalwell’s former seat. More than $5 million has been spent in recent weeks on ads supporting Melissa Hernandez and targeting Aisha Wahab, Politico reported.
The spending includes $1.2 million from United Democracy Project, backed by Aipac, and $2.1 million from Bold America Pac, which has received significant financial backing from the United Democracy Project. Track Aipac, which monitors the group’s funding of US politicians, reported that the lobby has spent over $4.4 million to support Hernandez in the race.
Aisha Wahab, a state senator endorsed by the California Democratic party, is widely considered the frontrunner in the special election for the East Bay district. She outpaced Melissa Hernandez, a former Dublin mayor, by more than 20 points in a June primary and a special election to complete Swalwell’s term. Wahab and Hernandez are scheduled to compete in a runoff election later this month and again in November.
Wahab has criticised Hernandez for allegedly avoiding debates and “relying on dark money” to support her campaign. She stated in a social media video, “We’re not going to let this race be bought by outside interests.”