Aisha Wahab
Aisha Wahab (January 11, 1987) is a member of the California State Senate.[1][2] She represents District 10, which is for Fremont, CA.[2] Wahab is the first Muslim elected to the California State Senate.[1] She is also the first Afghan American to have an elected government job in the United States.[1][3] She is a member of the Democratic party.[2]
Early life
Wahab was born in New York.[2] She is the daughter of two Afghani refugees.[3] Wahab’s father was murdered in New York.[3] Her mother died when Wahab was five years old.[3] She and her sister were put in foster care.[3] Then, they were adopted by an Afghan American couple in Fremont, CA.[3]
Wahab is a graduate from San Jose University. She also went to California State University for her MBA.
Career and political work
Wahab was a city council member for Hayward, CA.[4][3]
Wahab announced her candidacy for State Senate in October of 2021, and won December 5th, 2022.[3]
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).[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "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.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Aisha Wahab". CalMatters. 2023-01-05. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 "Aisha Wahab Made History". East Bay Express | Oakland, Berkeley & Alameda. 2019-02-06. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
- ↑ "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.