Our Revolution: Aisha Wahab’s CA-14 victory is a model for how progressives beat big money

Our Revolution today congratulated Aisha Wahab on her victory in California’s 14th Congressional District, calling the result a national model for how progressives can defeat big-money outside groups and build a Democratic Party rooted in working people.

Wahab won despite millions of dollars in outside spending aimed at stopping her, including massive spending from AIPAC’s super PAC. Against that flood of money, Our Revolution and allies bet on a different kind of political power: organizing.

Our Revolution mobilized its grassroots network in CA-14, reaching more than 128,000 voters through calls, texts, digital outreach and direct voter contact, while volunteers, union members and community leaders took the campaign directly to voters at their doors.

“Aisha Wahab’s victory should be studied by every progressive running for office in America,” said Joseph Geevarghese, Executive Director of Our Revolution. “They had millions of dollars. We had organized people. And organized people won.”

“This wasn’t just a victory for one candidate. It was a victory for a strategy,” Geevarghese continued. “Aisha built a broad coalition, united progressives and working people, and refused to let billionaire-funded outside groups decide who gets to represent this community. When our movement organizes early, organizes together and takes the fight directly to voters, we can beat big money.”

The victory is particularly significant because CA-14 had been represented by Eric Swalwell, and Wahab’s election represents a shift toward a more unapologetically progressive voice for the district in Congress.

“The lesson from CA-14 is simple: Democrats do not have to surrender to the biggest checkbook in the race,” Geevarghese said. “Big money can buy television ads, mailboxes and endless attacks. It cannot buy the trust built through thousands of conversations between neighbors. That is the model: unite the movement, organize everywhere, and make billionaire money fight us on our terrain.”

Our Revolution said it intends to take the lessons from CA-14 into races across the country as progressives confront unprecedented outside spending in Democratic elections.

“This is bigger than one congressional district,” Geevarghese said. “CA-14 showed us the path forward. They will keep spending millions. We will keep organizing millions. And when working people organize together, we can win.”