A Murdered Father, Then Foster Care. Now She’s Fighting to Replace Eric Swalwell State Sen. Aisha Wahab, a Democrat, is the leading candidate in the race to replace former Rep. Eric Swalwell in California’s 14th Congressional District. Her campaign faces a significant challenge from a $2 million ad campaign backed by outside groups, including a super PAC linked to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. The special election on Aug. 18 will determine who holds the seat until January, with a Nov. 3 general election to decide the full term. Wahab’s political career has been shaped by a deeply personal history of trauma and resilience. Her parents fled Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion and settled in New York City, where her father was murdered shortly after their arrival—a case that remains unsolved. Her mother died not long after, leaving Wahab and her older sister to grow up in the foster care system until they were adopted by an Afghan American couple in Fremont when Wahab was about 9. She described her childhood as marked by “significant baggage and isolation,” but she has channeled that experience into a commitment to protect the vulnerable. “I’m far more fortunate than many foster care kids—less than 3% obtain a college degree—but it comes with a significant amount of baggage and isolation, being an outsider in many ways,” she said. “So I carry all this trauma, and I try to use it for good.” Wahab’s path to the congressional race began with her 2023 bill to ban caste-based discrimination, which was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The measure drew death threats and a recall campaign, but she refused to back down.#eric_swalwell #gavin_newsom #aisha_wahab #california_14th_congressional_district #congressional_hispanic_caucus
