Aisha Wahab
Aisha Wahab | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2026 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 14th district | |
| Assumed office September 2, 2026 | |
| Preceded by | Eric Swalwell |
| Member of the California State Senate from the 10th district | |
| In office December 5, 2022 – September 1, 2026 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Wieckowski |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| Member of the Hayward City Council | |
| In office December 11, 2018 – December 5, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Marvin Peixoto |
| Succeeded by | George Syrop |
| Constituency | At-large district |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 11, 1987 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | San Jose State University (BA) California State University, East Bay (MBA) University of Southern California (DSW) |
Aisha Wahab (January 11, 1987) is an American politician who has been a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 14th congressional district since 2026. She was a member of the California State Senate from 2022 until 2026. She represented District 10 in the state senate, which is for Fremont, California.
Wahab is the first Muslim elected to the California State Senate. She is also the first Afghan American to have an elected government job in the United States. Wahab is also the first Afghan-American member of the United States Congress. She is a member of the Democratic party and is politically progressive.
Early life
Wahab was born in New York City. She is the daughter of two Afghani refugees. Wahab’s father was murdered in New York. Her mother died when Wahab was five years old. She and her sister were put in foster care. Then, they were adopted by an Afghan American couple in Fremont, California.
Wahab is a graduate from San Jose University. She also went to California State University for her MBA.
Political career
Wahab was a city council member for Hayward, California.
Wahab announced her candidacy for State Senate in October 2021, and won December 5, 2022.
Her poverty during childhood and adolescence motivated her to run for state senate so that other immigrants or immigrant families never had to experience student loan debts, housing cost problems, and more (all things she experienced as a child).
U.S. House of Representatives
On January 24, 2026, Wahab announced that she would run to represent California's 14th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026 after U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell announced his candidacy for governor of California. After Swalwell resigned because of sexual assault allegations, Wahab ran in the special election to replace him. She won the special election in August 2026 with 53% of the vote. She is the first Afghan-American member of the United States Congress.
References
- 1 2 3 "Hayward city council member Aisha Wahab becomes 1st Muslim, Afghan American elected to CA senate". ABC7 San Francisco. 2022-11-22. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
- 1 2 3 4 "Aisha Wahab". CalMatters. 2023-01-05. Archived from the original on 2023-02-17. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Aisha Wahab Made History". East Bay Express | Oakland, Berkeley & Alameda. 2019-02-06. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
- 1 2 Medina, Jennifer (August 20, 2026). "Progressive Overcomes AIPAC Opposition to Win Race to Replace Swalwell". The New York Times. Retrieved August 20, 2026.
- ↑ "Aisha Wahab on Her Historic Election to the State Senate". KQED. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
- ↑ "Hayward City Councilwoman Aisha Wahab Running For Eric Swalwell's House Seat". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
- ↑ Pho, Brandon (January 7, 2026). "Silicon Valley lawmaker could seek East Bay congressional seat". San José Spotlight. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
- ↑ Martin, Kyle (January 24, 2026). "Bay Area state senator adds her name to the growing list of candidates hoping to replace Eric Swalwell". The Mercury News. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ↑ "Democrats Wahab, Hernandez advance in California special election to finish Swalwell's term". Associated Press. WTOP. June 18, 2026. Archived from the original on June 20, 2026. Retrieved June 18, 2026.
- ↑ Anguiano, Dani (August 20, 2026). "Progressive Aisha Wahab wins California special election to fill Eric Swalwell seat". The Guardian. Retrieved August 20, 2026.
Other websites
Media related to Aisha Wahab at Wikimedia Commons