Democratic California state Sen. Aisha Wahab has won the special election runoff to finish former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s term in California’s 14th District, CNN’s Decision Desk projected.

Wahab defeated fellow Democrat Melissa Hernandez, president of the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board, in a closely watched race that became a test of Democratic divisions over Israel. The contest also drew millions of dollars in outside spending from groups aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

Ahead of the runoff, AIPAC’s super PAC arm, United Democracy Project, spent nearly $2 million on advertising attacking Wahab and supporting Hernandez, while BOLD America, another group that receives AIPAC funding, spent another $1.9 million. A separate super PAC, American Priorities, spent more than $200,000 supporting Wahab.

Despite the outside spending, Wahab secured the special election victory. In June, she had led Hernandez by 26 points in the first round of the special election. Two weeks earlier, Wahab led Hernandez by 21 points in the primary for a full two-year term. The two Democrats will face each other again in November to determine the winner of that race.

Wahab, the first Muslim elected to California’s Senate, campaigned on making healthcare and childcare more affordable, preventing corporate price-gouging and protecting safety net programs. She has also called for cutting U.S. military aid to Israel and said she believes the war in Gaza constitutes a genocide.

Hernandez said Israel has a right to defend itself while also arguing that the destruction in Gaza has gone too far.

Wahab will fill the House seat that has been vacant since Swalwell resigned in April amid sexual misconduct allegations, which he denied. She will serve the remainder of his term until the new Congress is sworn in at the start of 2027.

The California 14th District represents an area east of San Francisco. Wahab’s victory gives Democrats an additional seat in the narrowly divided House, which currently has 218 Republicans and 212 Democrats, with several vacancies.