Longtime Democratic leaders Maxine Waters, Brad Sherman facing new opposition in primary

Two longtime Democratic leaders from the Los Angeles area are facing new and younger opposition in the June primary election.

Maxine Waters, 87, has represented South L.A. in Congress for 35 years.

Waters isn't used to facing a challenger from her own party, but 53-year-old Myla Rahman, a nonprofit executive who's worked in politics, says it's time for a change.

"She's a force... Since I was 6 years old, she's been in office, but as I do my work in the community, walk through the districts, talk to people, people want new leadership," Rahman told Eyewitness News.

Rahman said people are eager for new energy. She pointed to day-to-day concerns she says resonate with voters in the district.

"The average age in the district is 36 years old. That's a big difference... When you talk about relatability, when you talk about going to the store, the price of affordability - I'm a renter," Rahman said. "Being able to afford housing. Raising my children in the district and school there, talking to their friends. And elections are about the future. They're not really about the past."

Waters says her experience and the energy she brings to the job every day is why she's running for re-election.

"The Democratic Party is working as it normally does," Waters said. "They will choose their candidates based on the relationships that they have, the work that they have done, the interests that they have shown - not about age."

Brad Sherman, 71, who has represented parts of the San Fernando Valley and West L.A. in Congress for nearly 30 years, is also facing challengers from his own party - some much younger.

"Back in 2012, I was the hip, young outsider. This time I can't claim to be the youngest or the hippest in the race," Sherman said.

"If you applied that same standard to Nancy Pelosi, we wouldn't have Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act," Sherman added. "I've been at every venue. I've been at every event. I listen to everybody."

Jake Levine, 42, served in the Obama and Biden administrations. He is one of the candidates running against Sherman.

"The reality is that in this business, there comes a time when you just age out," Levine said. "You lose your connectivity to the people that you're representing."

Levine lost his childhood home in the Palisades Fire and is disappointed at the pace of rebuilding. He's also critical of the Democratic Party's difficulty in cultivating new talent with fresh ideas.

"We've got people who are dying in office. We've people who are aging out, who are hanging on to these seats past their ability to actually build the coalitions and convene the community and organize the resources that we need to actually deliver for working families," Levine told Eyewitness News.

"We're in the midst of a realignment when it comes to age in politics, and an extraordinary thing in the democratic party when both Nancy Pelosi and Stenny Hoyer who've been the number one and two in their parties for decades, are both stepping down. They're in their 80s. Both people can be making an equally good argument. It's just for voters to sort out, what do you rather have? You'd rather have someone who might bring some new ideas and some new experience, or someone who has been around and is able to talk about their relationships and bring some seniority to the district," said ABC News Washington Bureau Chief Rick Klein.

Sherman may be in a tougher race not just because he faces more well known Democrats in the primary, but is also dealing with redistricting. The 32nd District now includes Simi Valley and Republican Larry Thompson is running against Sherman for a second time.