The special election to serve out the remainder of former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell’s term became the focal point for yet another contentious Democratic primary in California, as the party continues its leftward drift.
State Senator Aisha Wahab, who has stuck to left-wing talking points labeling Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide, defeated Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) board of directors member Melissa Hernandez in the special election, continuing the trend of leftists upsetting establishment-friendly candidates in recent primaries. The two will face a rematch in November for the full two-year term.
Hernandez’s campaign was notable for attracting large amounts of AIPAC funding, which allowed her to blanket the San Francisco Bay Area TV airwaves with negative ads against Wahab. The ads focused on accurately accusing Wahab of bein soft-on-crime, and touting Hernandez’s local police union endorsements. The region has converged on a more tough-on-crime consensus in recent years, and AIPAC undoubtedly is aware that its own position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not exactly popular among the Democratic base.
The massive spending managed to narrow the race’s margin, but it appears that the left wing of the Democratic Party is gaining in influence as the midterms approach. Prior to Wahab’s victory, AIPAC failed in a similar spending effort to defeat Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan. Democratic voters are clearly betting that they can seize on anti-Trump backlash to further radicalize the party, much as they did during his first administration.
The best-case scenario is that the Democratic Party remains riven with persistent ideological conflict and becomes unable to complete effectively in elections. Alternatively, the party’s hardened left-wing faction could take the upper hand, only to be defeated and discredited by Republicans. We have seen opinions shift rapidly and ostensibly moderate voters fall for far-left trends before, though. It will be important to not underestimate a resurgent Left in order to ensure its defeat.
