‘People are sick of the same old thing’: Maxine Waters faces primary from Democrat 34 years her junior

Myla Rahman is aiming to use Rep. Maxine Waters' 35 years in Congress as political ammunition as she challenges the longtime Democratic congresswoman.

The nonprofit executive, Los Angeles native and cancer survivor, who is 34 years younger than the 87-year-old lawmaker, is highlighting generational change as she launches a primary challenge against Waters.

"People are sick and tired of the same old thing," Rahman told the California Post in an interview this week.

Waters, who has been in Congress since 1991, hasn't faced a serious primary challenge in over a decade in California's solidly-blue 43rd District, which is anchored in South Los Angeles.

HEADED FOR THE EXITS: WHY 3-DOZEN HOUSE MEMBERS AREN'T RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION

Rep. Maxine Waters, Democrat from California, speaks as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testifies during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on "The Annual Report of the Financial Stability Oversight Council" on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 4, 2026. (Alex Wroblewski/AFP/Getty Images)

But that's not deterring Rahman, who is hoping to get a ballot box boost from Democrats' discontent with their party's aging politicians, which was amplified by then-President Joe Biden's decision to run for re-election in 2024 before dropping out of the race amid serious questions about his physical and mental acuity after a disastrous debate with now-President Donald Trump.

Fox News Digital reached out to Waters' re-election campaign for reaction to Rahman's primary challenge but did not receive a response at the time this story published.

Waters isn't the only long-serving House Democrat from California facing challenges from younger rivals. So are Democratic Reps. Brad Sherman and Mike Thompson.

RAHM EMANUEL CALLS FOR MANDATORY RETIREMENT AGE OF 75 FOR PEOPLE IN PUBLIC OFFICE

And it's not just California.

In Massachusetts, Rep. Seth Moulton is spotlighting the generational argument as he tries to oust Sen. Ed Markey in the Democratic primary.

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., launched his bid to unseat Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., on Oct. 15, 2025. (Greg Nash/Pool via Reuters; Alex Brandon/Pool via Reuters)

Rahman says, "Time is of the essence" and asks, "Why wait when you can make an impactful change now?" 

While Republicans don't have any realistic chance of flipping the district, Rahman's primary challenge gives the GOP some ammunition.

"Democrats built a party run by career politicians like Maxine Waters who has been cashing taxpayer funded paychecks since the Cold War. After decades clinging to power, these political fossils are getting tossed aside by the same radical activists they helped empower," National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Christian Martinez charged in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Waters was often in the spotlight during Trump's first term in the White House, as one of his most vocal critics.

Waters remains a loud critic, questioning the president's fitness for office after Trump's push to remove Lisa Cook as a Federal Reserve governor.

Waters remains influential, as the powerful House Financial Services Committee's ranking Democrat.  And last week, in a fiery exchange with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at a congressional hearing, she asked, "Can you shut him up?"

Rahman, who filed her paperwork with the Federal Election Commission a week ago, said she's making affordable healthcare a focus of her campaign after surviving two bouts with breast cancer.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"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.

And looking ahead to her uphill challenge against Waters, she told the California Post, "We’re getting momentum, momentum is getting strong, and we think that we will have what’s necessary to be competitive and to win this race."

Fox News Digital reached out to Rahman and Waters.