CA-15: On Friday, Hayward City Councilor Aisha Wahab became the first Democrat to announce a bid to succeed Rep. Eric Swalwell, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nod.
Wahab is the daughter of a couple who fled the Soviet War in Afghanistan, and she grew up in foster care after both her parents died when she was young. Wahab, who was adopted by another Afghan American family, successfully ran for the Hayward City Council last year in a win that, along with New Hampshire state Rep. Safiya Wazir, generated national headlines and made her the first Afghan elected to office in the United States.
Wahab, who at 31 was also the second-youngest councilmember in the city’s history, also managed to win despite being lacking the support of the police and fire unions, the mobile home associations, and the city chamber of commerce, which the East Bay Express’ Steven Tavares called the “big four groups” in city politics. However, Wahab outraised all her opponents thanks in large part to her contacts in the large Afghan American community in nearby Fremont.
During her brief time in office, Wahab has often clashed with other members of city government. Wahab has made attempts to, among other things, raise the minimum wage, institute rent control, and put the police through de-escalation training. Last month, the city manager tried to push a policy through the council to limit the number of legislative referrals each councilmember can request each year, which was a not-so-veiled attempt to limit Wahab’s influence. The measure failed, but not before a bitter city council debate where one of Wahab’s colleagues suggested she was using her platform to grandstand.
Wahab is unlikely to be the last Democrat in the race for this safely blue Bay Area seat. On Friday, state Sen. Bob Wieckowski said he was "currently in the process of establishing" an exploratory committee. Wieckowski, who was elected to the state Senate in 2012, represents a seat that includes about 60% of the 15th Congressional District.