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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 12, 2026

CONTACT: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

FEC Complaint Accuses Aisha Wahab of Laundering Corporate Money Into Her Campaign for Congress

Complaint Traces $60,000 From Wahab’s Fossil Fuel and Pharmaceutical Corporation-Funded State Senate Account to the Alameda County Democratic Party, Which Was Paying for Pro-Wahab Campaign Mail Within Weeks

DUBLIN, CA — On Monday, Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley filed a formal complaint with the Federal Election Commission against State Senator Aisha Wahab and the Alameda County Democratic Party. The complaint alleges that Wahab’s state Senate campaign committee illegally funneled $60,000 to the county party as the party began spending tens of thousands of dollars to support Wahab’s campaign for Congress in California’s 14th District. The complaint was drafted by Kaufman Legal Group, and filed as vote-by-mail ballots sit in voters’ hands ahead of the August 18 special election.

The money trail described in the complaint comes directly from Wahab’s and the party’s own campaign finance filings:
* On May 5, 2026, Wahab for State Senate 2026 reported a $60,000 contribution ([link removed]) to the Alameda County Democratic Party. According to state campaign finance records, it was the first contribution the committee had ever made to the party.
* On May 21, 2026, the party’s federal committee reported two independent expenditures, of $12,037.21 ([link removed]) and another $12,037.21 ([link removed]) , for postage on mailers supporting Wahab’s congressional campaign.
* On May 26, 2026, the party reported another $7,318.32 ([link removed]) for printing and design of pro-Wahab mailers, bringing its reported spending for Wahab to $31,392.74 in the three weeks following the transfer.

Federal law prohibits corporations from contributing to congressional campaigns. California law does not, and Wahab has taken full advantage: a memo shows that corporate and industry money accounts for 50.1% of everything her state Senate committee has raised in the current reporting period ([link removed]) , including:
* Thousands of dollars each from Amazon, Google, Meta, AT&T, and Comcast
* Donations more than half a dozen casinos and card rooms
* Tens of thousands of dollars from fossil fuel companies, including Sempra Energy and an Occidental Petroleum subsidiary
* Thousands of dollars from Pfizer, PhRMA (pharmaceutical lobby), and Novo Nordisk

The complaint alleges that routing that money through the county party and into federal campaign mail laundered contributions that are illegal in a congressional election, in violation of federal campaign finance law.

“I have spent more than two decades in local government, and I have never seen a money trail this brazen. Aisha Wahab’s state committee had never given the Alameda County Democratic Party a dime. Then, with ballots about to drop, it handed the party $60,000, and within weeks the party was paying for her congressional campaign mail,” said Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley. “Corporate money that is banned from federal elections does not become legal because it takes a detour through a party committee. Voters deserve answers from the FEC, and they deserve them before this seat is decided.”

“Sacramento politicians play by their own rules while families here pay the price, and this complaint shows exactly how that game works,” said Ajay Mohan, Campaign Manager for Melissa Hernandez. “Aisha Wahab built her state account on checks from fossil fuel, pharmaceutical, and gambling companies, money that is illegal in a race for Congress, and the public record indicates it was funneled into this election anyway. Voters are tired of it. More Sacramento politics isn’t how we change Washington.”

The complaint asks the FEC to investigate the transfer and the expenditures that followed, and to enforce federal campaign finance law to the fullest extent. A copy of the filed complaint is available here ([link removed]) .

To learn more about Melissa Hernandez and her campaign, visit melissahernandez2026.com.

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California's 14th Congressional District lies entirely within Alameda County in California's East Bay, encompassing the cities of Hayward, Livermore, Pleasanton, and Union City in full, along with portions of Castro Valley, Dublin, Fremont, and San Leandro. The district has roughly 429,000 registered voters; 50% Democrats, 27% with no party preference, and 18% Republicans. CA-14 residents are approximately 40% Asian, 24% Latino, 23% non-Hispanic White, and 5% Black, with the remainder multiracial, Pacific Islander, or Native American. There are two upcoming general elections, a special general election on August 18, 2026, to complete the term vacated by former Rep. Eric Swalwell (running through January 2027), and the regular general election on November 3, 2026, for the full term beginning January 2027.
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