Israeli Pro-Israel Groups Spent Over $5 Million in Ads Opposing Aisha Wahab in Swalwell Seat Race

State Sen. Aisha Wahab, D-Hayward, announced her intention to file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) regarding alleged election interference on social media. The complaint centers on groups associated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) spending millions to oppose her bid to replace Rep. Eric Swalwell in Congress. The Aug. 18 special election between Wahab and Melissa Hernandez, a fellow Democrat and BART board president, has drawn significant attention from pro-Israel interests, with over $5 million in outside money spent on advertisements against Wahab and in favor of Hernandez in the final days of the race, according to Politico.

Wahab’s team alleges that social media platforms are being used to spread false information, describing a surge of suspicious accounts and bot-like activity coordinated to disseminate misleading narratives. “A lot of these accounts have one friend and three posts that have no connection to the district,” she said at a press conference outside Hayward City Hall. While Wahab has faced hateful comments on her social media posts before, her campaign spokesperson, Joe Macaluso, noted a new pattern of defamatory posts making specific false claims, such as a reference to Wahab assaulting a former staffer.

Wahab, the first Muslim woman and Afghan American elected to the state Legislature, has not yet named any particular group responsible for the alleged interference. However, her campaign has collected examples of the comments and is finalizing a request to Meta to analyze the activity. Macaluso stated the team will simultaneously file a complaint with the FEC, seeking an investigation into whether the activity constitutes an organized, paid effort to influence the election that should have been reported under federal campaign-finance law.

The Wahab campaign’s complaint comes amid campaign-finance allegations on both sides of the race. Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley filed a separate FEC complaint accusing Wahab of receiving an illegal, unreported in-kind contribution after her state Senate campaign gave $60,000 to the Alameda County Democratic Party, which later launched an independent expenditure supporting her. Miley described the situation as “money laundering,” emphasizing the potential violation of campaign finance laws.

The race has become a focal point for external spending, with pro-Israel groups playing a significant role in shaping the narrative. The allegations highlight the complex interplay between political campaigns and external financial influences, raising questions about transparency and accountability in the electoral process. As the FEC investigates these claims, the case underscores the challenges of ensuring fair and equitable elections in an era of increasing digital and financial complexity.

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