Wahab defeated Democrat Melissa Hernandez, an official with the San Francisco Bay Area mass transit system.

Once sworn in, Wahab, ​an Afghan American, will fill the seat that was held by Democratic Representative ​Eric Swalwell, who resigned in April amid allegations of sexual misconduct, ⁠which he denied. That will give Democrats 213 seats in the House, while Republicans ​will hold 218.

The solidly Democratic district is near San Francisco and San Jose. Wahab will ​be the first Afghan American member of the U.S. Congress. The progressive Democrat was also the first Muslim woman and Afghan American elected to the state legislature.

Wahab had over 53% of the ​votes while Hernandez secured about 47% with 95% of the votes tallied, according ​to NBC News.

United Democracy Project, a super PAC of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying ‌group, ⁠spent nearly $2.5 million since early August to boost Hernandez, according to the Washington Post and multiple other media reports.

The lobbying group has become a focus of criticism in some Democratic primary contests this year during intra-party tensions over candidates' positions on Israel.

Prominent progressive Democrats have opposed ​U.S. support for Israel ​over the U.S.-Israeli war ⁠on Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's close ties to Republicans, and particularly over Israeli attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, leading to an erosion of ​Democratic backing for Washington's ally.

Wahab and Hernandez will again face ​each other ⁠in November. The winner of that election will hold the congressional seat for a full two-year term.

Wahab, who has positioned herself as a state lawmaker aiming to reduce inequality, had authored ⁠a ​bill that would have made California the first U.S. ​state to explicitly ban caste discrimination. It was vetoed in 2023 by Governor Gavin Newsom, who said existing ​laws already banned ancestry discrimination.