Los Angeles native and cancer survivor Myla Rahman is vying to oust Rep. Maxine Waters from the seat she’s held onto for more than three decades, telling The California Post that “people are sick and tired of the same old thing.”
Waters, 87, has not faced a serious intra-party threat in recent election cycles — consistently maintaining more than 70% of the vote in the heavily Democratic 43rd District. The long-serving congresswoman, who’s been in office since 1991, would be pushing 90 if she were to win another term.
That’s precisely why Rahman says now’s the time for “bold leaders to step up.”
“Time is of the essence,” the 53-year-old Democrat said. “So, why wait when you can make an impactful change now?”
The 43rd District — covering parts of south Los Angeles, including neighborhoods like Compton and Torrance — has been home to Rahman since she was 6 years old.
The health care advocate got her start in politics working for former Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald as a field representative, before taking several district director roles in the California State Legislature.
Rahman now focuses much of her attention on the healthcare space — she currently serves as the director of a nonprofit called Angels for Sight, which provides screenings for people without insurance — and she intends on making that area a focus of her campaign.
She said her own experience as a cancer survivor and working with people who don’t have insurance has ignited her passion to reform the health care system, drive down costs, and put an emphasis on preventative care.
“My mission is to help with preventative care and people not even getting sick, and that includes mental, physical and mental well-being,” Rahman said.
In the past year, Rahman lost two siblings, a sister who was just 38 when she died from liver disease and a brother who died at 42 from an autoimmune disease.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
