Aisha WahabAisha Wahab

State Senator Aisha Wahab, a strong progressive voice in the state legislature, especially for tenants’ rights, has emerged as the clear frontrunner. She's endorsed by the Working Families Party and Our Revolution but also by the Democratic Party. Wahab was one of the first Afghan-American elected officials in the country when she was elected to the Hayward City Council in 2018, and if she wins this race, she will be the first Afghan-American in Congress and one of very few Muslim members of the House (there have only been five total ever). She has two main Democratic rivals, both running clearly to her right. BART Board Director Melissa Hernandez has garnered support from local mayors, County Supervisors, and police unions, including DSA’s evil doppelganger (the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association). But the most concerning candidate is Rakhi Israni, a longtime Hindu nationalist activist with a history of ties to far-right Republicans.

In the California State Senate, Wahab has been a leading voice for affordability, workers’ rights, and housing justice. She has taken on powerful interests to expand tenant protections, lower costs for working families, and push back against corporate-driven policies that put profit over people.

California’s 14th Congressional District is in a state of chaos. And the East Bay district’s 750,000-something residents can blame Eric Swalwell, their former congressman.

The Castro Valley Democrat’s run for governor in November created a nine-way contest to replace him in the House of Representatives. That race is on the June 2 primary ballot.

Then, in April amid accusations of sexual assault, Swalwell’s resignation from Congress – following his withdrawal from the gubernatorial race – created an 11-way race to temporarily fill his vacant seat until January. That race is now on the June 16 special election ballot.
Yes, it’s confusing. And if no candidate grabs a majority in either of those races, this district’s voters might have to go to the polls four times. You read that right.
The antidote to this political pandemonium is a known-quantity – a public servant with an established record of already having represented much of this 580-square mile district, which stretches from Hayward and Fremont to Castro Valley and Livermore.

State Sen. Aisha Wahab is that candidate.

Wahab, a 39-year-old Democrat, appears on both the June 2 and June 16 ballots. We support her for both. This district doesn’t need musical chairs. It needs to pick one reliable person to occupy this seat and begin representing Alameda County’s interests in a closely divided Congress.

Proven leadership

D.C. is no place to send a novice. And Wahab isn’t one.

In fact, as the assistant majority leader, she is currently the third most powerful lawmaker in the California Senate, where she has had a front-row seat to the debates affecting the East Bay.

After serving on Hayward’s city council for four years, she was elected to the Senate in 2022. Since then, she has written, negotiated or helped to pass legislation in Sacramento to expand mental health coverage, cap insulin costs, secure down-payment assistance for first-time homebuyers, criminalize organized retail theft, and prop up Bay Area transit agencies, among other priorities.

In interviews with this newspaper’s editorial board, Wahab articulated her agenda at the federal level – strengthening antitrust enforcement, protecting workers from AI displacement and children from predatory social media companies, consolidating fragmented Bay Area transit and opposing funding formulas that short-change California taxpayers.

To be clear, some of Wahab’s Democratic colleagues in the Senate consider her style brusque. Last year, as chair of the Senate Housing Committee, she clashed with some pro-development Democrats, particularly over proposals she viewed as overly favorable to developers without guaranteeing sufficient affordable housing. Critics claimed she was beholden to trades unions, which have supported her run. No one will accuse her of being Ms. Congeniality or a pushover, but it hasn’t kept her from securing the endorsements of many of her Senate colleagues or the California Democratic Party.

Others unpersuasive

Wahab’s eight opponents include, at least, two serious candidates, though none makes as convincing a case.

Virtually all mention affordability as their primary objective; however, few show credible signs of being able to deliver for this district, which is among the most unique in the U.S. (Its homes cost three times the national average; four in 10 people here were born outside the country; poverty is low; incomes are very high; and commutes to work on the I-580, -680, and -880 are far too long.)

Melissa Hernandez has significant experience in East Bay local government and Bay Area transit. Hernandez, 51, is the former mayor of Dublin and is currently president of BART’s board of directors as well as director of health services for an Alameda County supervisor.

However, in an interview with this editorial board, Hernandez struggled to explain how she would use federal levers of power. Instead, she was far more fluent connecting local problems to Sacramento, not Washington. She has amassed a credible war chest, particularly from many East Bay public sector unions and will likely be a formidable challenger.

Conversely, Rakhi Israni had no problem identifying how D.C. can benefit Alameda County. The Fremont lawyer wears many hats: test-prep company founder, Santa Clara County judge pro tem and pro bono lawyer, etc. Israni, 52, is a policy wonk, who provided this editorial board with an agenda to tackle wealth inequality, housing affordability, workforce displacement and beyond.

However, Israni’s record of contributions to Republican candidates, and even fringe right-wing, overtly racist Laura Loomer, raise serious questions about her reliability as a representative of a district, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly three to one. She calls her donation to Loomer a major “mistake.” Though she lacks the institutional support of local parties or unions, Israni’s deep pockets make her a serious contender in both primaries. Her campaign is the most well-funded, in part because she has loaned it more than $1 million.

Dena Maldonado is fighting an uphill battle. She’s one of two Republicans running here. The 37-year-old florist has secured the support of the California Republican Party, giving her a significant advantage over fellow Republican candidate and retired tech executive Wendy Huang. Maldonado has only lived in this district for a year, and her main priorities – such as protecting the 2nd Amendment – don’t reflect the Bay Area’s most central anxieties over the costs of housing, health care and energy.

Other contestants to replace Swalwell, including 54-year-old Pleasanton-based nonprofit director Carin Elam and 41-year-old San Leandro-based graphic designer Matt Ortega have not mounted campaigns at the scale and seriousness required to win here.

What comes next will be convoluted. A June 2 primary; another on June 16. Potential runoffs through August and November.

But the choice doesn’t have to be confusing. There is only one reliable, proven candidate on both ballots.

That’s Wahab. Keep it simple. Vote for her. Twice.

Source (https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2026/05/07/endorsement-elect-aisha-wahab-to-replace-ex-rep-eric-swalwell-in-congress/)

US House D14 lies in Alameda County. Cities covered: Hayward, Pleasanton, Livermore, Union City, Castro Valley, Sunol, and parts of Dublin and Fremont.

Aisha Wahab

As State Senator, Aisha Wahab has not only talked the good talk, but she has walked the good walk – taking on the utilities by sponsoring SB 322, which would have required a study to determine if Investor Owned Utilities are the best model for electricity and gas customers in California. This meant standing up to powerful interests and holding utilities accountable, actions that are at the heart of 350 Bay Area Action’s platform.  In Congress, we need a representative who is willing to take on the Trump administration’s illegal oil war and unconstitutional seizure of power.  Aisha Wahab is that person.

Aisha was the first Afghan American woman elected to office in the U.S. (Hayward City Council), and the first to be elected to the California legislature, where she is now Assistant Majority Leader. Her parents died when she was young, and she was raised in Fremont in foster care.  

Aisha has a BA in Political Science from San Jose State, an MBA from Cal State Hayward, and a doctorate in social work from USC.  She is both outspoken and excellent at working with people, as shown by her sponsoring, and working to successfully pass, 11 bipartisan bills while in the State Senate.

In Congress, Aisha will work to “advance proactive legislation on clean energy, environmental justice, resilience, and corporate accountability.” She adds, “Even without full control of Congress, a Democratic House can expose corruption, block some harmful efforts, shape the national debate, and build momentum for stronger climate action.” In the event that Republicans maintain control of the House, she would “use every oversight, investigative, communications, and coalition-building tool available to raise the political cost of climate denial and environmental rollbacks.” And on the topic of the current war, which we asked candidates about, Aisha would take on Trump’s illegal war and unconstitutional seizure of power.

Source (https://350bayareaaction.org/us-congress-district-14-aisha-wahab)

Aisha Wahab is running for Congress in California’s 14th District. There was a top two primary election on June 2, she placed first with 34%. The top two candidates will face each other in the general election November 3. She won a special election on June 16 to fill the remainder of this vacant seat. Dr. Wahab also proudly serves as a California State Senator and is the Assistant Majority Leader. Prior to her election to the Senate in 2022, she served on the Hayward City Council and as Mayor Pro Tempore. Her fearless advocacy has made her a target of billionaires and powerful interests who have spent millions trying to remove her from office. Driven by the belief that government must serve the people, not the powerful, Senator Aisha Wahab continues to fight for housing affordability, civil rights, education, women’s rights, small businesses, public safety, and economic opportunity. Senator Wahab is Muslim and an ally of our community.

She is the new Congresswoman of a neighboring district. We cannot vote for her in our part of the county but can cheer her on and spread the word. She is taking over after Eric Swallwell crashed and burned in front of the whole world. Her rise has seemed to be meteoric but was hard won, and her policies are aimed to make life better for working families. With these two congresswomen representing the Bay Area, we can actually challenge all the powers that be (well almost.) https://www.ktvu.com/news/californias-aisha-wahab-is-1st-afghan-american-sworn-congress.amp

For the Aug. 18 special election to fill the open seat for the 14th Congressional District, voters should choose State Senator Aisha Wahab. The election would fill the seat left vacant until January 2027 by former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s resignation. The general election on Nov. 3 will determin…