Democrat Aisha Wahab wins California special election for Swalwell's former seat

California state senator Aisha Wahab was elected to the US House of Representatives on Tuesday in a special election to fill the seat left vacant by Eric Swalwell, who resigned in April amid sexual misconduct allegations he has denied.

Wahab entered the race as the clear frontrunner in the East Bay district, backed by the state Democratic party, Our Revolution, labor unions, local officials and state attorney general Rob Bonta. She had defeated her opponent Hernandez, president of the Bay Area Rapid Transit board of directors, by more than 20 points in the primary.

A closer-than-expected finish

Despite her early dominance, Hernandez's campaign gained significant momentum as Super Pacs linked to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) poured money into the race. By Thursday afternoon, with 92% of votes counted, Wahab's lead had narrowed to just over six points.

Earlier in the month it emerged that these Super Pacs had spent more than $5m within weeks on ads promoting Hernandez and attacking Wahab. Track Aipac, a group monitoring the lobby's political spending, reported that Aipac itself had spent nearly $6.4m supporting Hernandez.

Wahab, the first Muslim woman and Afghan American elected to the California legislature, told the Guardian that a sudden wave of critical ads had misrepresented her record. She called the Super Pacs' involvement election interference and accused them of trying to buy the seat.

The contest grew more heated in its final days after congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, who chairs California's Democratic delegation, endorsed Hernandez, saying Wahab had not supported efforts to install a caretaker candidate to fill the seat more quickly. The party's progressive wing, however, continued to rally behind Wahab, with former California Democratic party progressive caucus chair Amar Shergill calling Lofgren's move "astounding".