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Rep. Aisha Wahab and challenger Melissa Hernandez sparred over their priorities, housing policy, data centers and campaign funding in a tense debate Wednesday evening, with the back-and-forth ultimately erupting when Hernandez accused Wahab of having contact with the regime in power in Afghanistan.
“I’m an honest person with regards to not being — having communications with the Taliban, like my —” Hernandez said during her closing statement with a hand raised toward Wahab.
Moderator Juliette Goodrich of KPIX 5 interrupted Hernandez, who had exceeded her allotted two-minute time limit by about eight seconds, to give the floor to Wahab.
Wahab expressed shock at the remark, letting out a drawn-out “Wow” while both applause and groans could be heard from the audience attending the Congressional District 14 candidate forum.
After a couple of fragmented sentences, Wahab proceeded with her closing statement without addressing Hernandez’s accusation.
“I am your current Congressmember,” she said to an outburst of cheers and applause. “I’m very proud to represent you and this district. I also want to highlight the beauty of this district… If you take a look at this audience, it is so absolutely beautiful and diverse.”
Wahab is the first Afghan American elected to Congress, defeating fellow Democrat Hernandez — the Bart board president, former Dublin mayor and current healthcare director for District 1 of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors — in the special election to replace Eric Swalwell. Swalwell stepped down in April amid accusations of sexual misconduct.
As Hernandez’s remark garnered media attention and public backlash, she released a statement on Thursday in an attempt to clarify the comment.
“When my microphone was cut off, I had just said, ‘communication with the Taliban like my…,’” the statement reads. “What I was in the process of saying was that I oppose establishing diplomatic relations with the Taliban, like my opponent, Aisha Wahab, suggested during her Aug. 24, 2026, interview with Democracy Now!”
In that interview, Wahab said that regardless of who is in power in Afghanistan, the U.S. should be “exercising diplomacy and having a relationship” that ideally steers them towards human rights, women’s rights and civil rights in general.
“My position is rooted in compassion for the Afghan people, not opposition to them,” Hernandez said in the statement. “I support humanitarian assistance and necessary communication to protect innocent lives. However, there is an important distinction between providing humanitarian support and formally recognizing or legitimizing a government responsible for denying its citizens fundamental freedoms.”
Wahab took to Instagram on Thursday and called her challenger’s debate comment a “racist dog whistle as a distraction for her terrible performance.”
Diplomacy is about engagement, Wahab added, and she said Hernandez’s lack of understanding of that concept in war and humanitarian aid shows she is “unfit to have this seat.”
Candidates cite cost of living, immigration as top priorities
The debate’s closing moments exemplified what had been a contentious exchange throughout the night as the candidates touched on some of the top issues facing the district, which includes Livermore, Pleasanton and portions of Dublin.
Wahab said her top priorities in office are threefold: establish an economic bill of rights to address the high cost of living, combat corruption and improve care for all ages.
Hernandez listed her top priorities as lowering the cost of living, immigration reform and public-safety enforcement. Of those priorities, she said, immigration reform would be her first goal in Congress.
She said many people have been in the U.S. for years without receiving citizenship, adding that most of them are not bad actors. It should not take a working taxpayer 10 or 20 years to become a citizen, she said.
Differing approaches to area’s housing challenges
Both candidates spoke about the district’s housing challenges, with Hernandez saying one way to lower the cost of housing is to lower tariffs in conjunction with building more homes.
She pointed to the city of Dublin as a success story for housing availability, saying the city had done an “amazing job.”
“Housing has been our priority for the last 15 to 20 years,” she said. “We were the fastest-growing city in Northern California for a very long time.”
During her time as mayor, the city of Dublin created a first-time homebuyer program for down payment assistance, she said.
She also suggested lowering interest rates and creating first-time homebuyer programs and housing-density bonuses, which she said incentivize the development of affordable-rate units.
To fund cities’ home-buyer programs, Hernandez proposed providing federal-level discretionary funding to jurisdictions.
Wahab expressed support for protecting renters.
While in the State Senate, Wahab said, she worked for a renter’s tax credit. She also supported the Dream For All Shared Appreciation Loan, intended to assist first-time homebuyers by providing a loan for up to 20% of a home’s purchase price or closing costs, capped at $150,000.
She noted seniors are the fastest-growing demographic of homeless individuals in the U.S.
Tariff wars with Canada are “deeply problematic,” she added, causing a rise in the cost of housing and “pretty much everything else.”
Wahab said she supports banning private equity firms from purchasing single-family homes.
Cities should prioritize development, “especially in their vacant lots,” and increase high-density housing in available spaces, Wahab said, adding that she supported allocating more funding toward those efforts.
Affordable housing must be built at the same time as other development to make sure the “poor people’s housing” isn’t concentrated in one area, Wahab said.
Regulating data centers
The candidates also disagreed on policy regulating new data centers, which can place stress on infrastructure due to their electricity and water usage.
Imposing moratoriums on data centers is not the right move, Wahab said, because “you can’t stop technology.”
“This is where our innovation is,” she added, noting demand for storing data in the U.S. and ensuring its security.
She acknowledged the stress data centers place on the grid and said “our utility companies are not going to prioritize the infrastructure improvements they need to do.”
Wahab described her approach to AI and data centers as a “balancing act” and said it was important to listen to experts and scientists, not necessarily lobbyists or companies.
Hernandez said local jurisdictions should be able to decide whether to allow new data centers, adding that some communities are in favor of them.
But data centers should be paying their “fair share” of electricity, and people should know the repercussions of AI and data centers, she said.
Outside spending and endorsements
In a race widely publicized for attracting outside spending, Hernandez said she has received funding from “the people,” adding that “we can’t control the independent expenditures.”
“I am more than happy for folks to see where I have received all my money from,” Hernandez said. “It’s from neighbors and friends in the Tri-Valley and so on.”
“But I have not made enemies like my opponent has, and maybe that’s why they have supported my campaign,” Hernandez added.
Wahab did not answer whether she would refuse campaign funding from any individual, but pointed to Citizens United — a 2010 Supreme Court ruling that allows corporations to make independent expenditures in elections — as an issue in politics.
“It has really deteriorated our democracy and the individual ability to really advocate for the issues we care about,” she said.
Wahab alleged The American Israel Public Affairs Committee spent up to $7 million in the Aug. 18 special election and $2 million in the June primary to support Hernandez.
Candidates do not have control over independent expenditures, Wahab acknowledged, but she said Hernandez has not denounced the outside spending.
“It’s so funny how this number from AIPAC keeps increasing,” Hernandez said during her rebuttal. “Folks, do your research. It’s important.”
Wahab previously stated she would not accept corporate money, Hernandez said. When asked whether there was a particular individual she wouldn’t take money from, “at least I do not lie about it,” Hernandez said.
Wahab and Hernandez agreed the U.S. should remove itself from conflict in the Middle East, support healthcare for all and pull back the authority of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Hernandez has been endorsed by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose), Sam Liccardo (D-San Jose), Dublin Mayor Sherry Hu, the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association of Alameda County and the Alameda County Firefighters Association.
Wahab has been endorsed by individuals and organizations including Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gov. Gavin Newsom, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), the California Republican Party, the Alameda County Democratic Party and the California Police Chiefs Association.
A recording of the forum is available on the Dublin Chamber of Commerce YouTube channel.
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