Aipac-linked Super Pacs spend millions in California to thwart progressive candidate

More than $5m in recent weeks have been spent in ads targeting Aisha Wahab and in support of Melissa Hernandez

Super Pacs tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) have spent millions in a California congressional race to keep a progressive Democrat from winning Eric Swalwell’s former seat.

Aisha Wahab, a state senator who has been endorsed by the California Democratic party, is widely considered the frontrunner in the special election for the district covering a swathe of the East Bay.

Swalwell had been in office for more than a decade when he resigned earlier this year following multiple allegations of sexual assault.

Wahab outpaced her closest competitor, Melissa Hernandez, the president of the board of directors for the Bay Area Rapid Transit (Bart) agency and a former Dublin mayor, in a June primary as well as a special election to complete the remainder of Swalwell’s term, by more than 20 points. They are set to face off against each other in a runoff election later this month, and then again in November.

Super Pacs are pouring money into the race, dropping more than $5m in recent weeks and supporting pro-Hernandez ads and Wahab attack ads, Politico reported on Thursday. The spending includes $1.2m from United Democracy Project, which is backed by Aipac, and $2.1m from Bold America Pac, which has received significant financial backing from the United Democracy Project, according to the outlet.

Track Aipac, which tracks the group’s funding of US politicians, reported that the lobby has spent more than $4.4m to support Hernandez in the race.

Wahab said there has been a barrage of attack ads against her in the last month that have misrepresented her record, particularly as it relates to public safety issues. She described the Super Pacs’ involvement as election interference.

“You have to ask yourself, why? Aipac is clearly not interested in having diverse voices at the table, they are not interested in supporting the Jewish community and a peaceful dialogue,” she argued. “They want a puppet they can control.”

The ads have generated outrage among her constituents, she said, adding that her campaign fields calls and emails daily from people “disgusted by the ads”.

People are familiar with her record, Wahab added, and her personal history. Her father was murdered when she was a child, and Wahab grew up in the foster care system. As a state lawmaker, she has prioritized victims, she said, and supported legislation to make human trafficking a serious felony and a bill of rights for sexual assault survivors.

Aipac, which is one of the largest Super Pacs and the most powerful pro-Israel lobby organization in the US, has significantly expanded its political spending in recent years. The New York Times reported earlier this week that Aipac has doubled its spending, largely in Democratic primaries, to $67.2m.

The organization spent millions to support moderate Haley Stevens in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary. The progressive Abdul El-Sayed ultimately won the primary race in what has been described as a defining contest for the party.

Wahab pointed to her record and wide-ranging support, including endorsements from the organization Our Revolution to state and local officials including the attorney general Rob Bonta and the Alameda county sheriff, Yesenia Sanchez.

The Guardian has contacted Aipac, and the Hernandez campaign for comment.