Rakhi Israni

Rakhi Israni graduated from Bellaire High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin, a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center, and an LL.M. from Columbia Law School. Her career experience includes working as an attorney and business owner.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm Rakhi Israni Singh — attorney, entrepreneur, educator, and mother of four — and I've called Fremont and the East Bay home for more than 20 years.

I am the daughter of immigrants who fled their homes as refugees and arrived in America with no connections, no safety net, and no guarantee of success. Their story of starting over and building a life through hard work is one I carry with me every day.

I began my career by joining the police academy — an experience that gave me lasting respect for those who serve and a deep commitment to the rule of law. I went on to earn degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Houston Law Center, Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business, and Columbia Law School.

I founded a Fremont-based education company and built it over two decades into a nationwide business, employing thousands and serving tens of thousands of students. I've also served as a Judge Pro Tem in Santa Clara County Superior Court, volunteered as a PTA president at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, and led government affairs for one of the nation's largest faith-based humanitarian organizations — helping disaster victims, fighting human trafficking, and serving families in crisis.

My husband and I have raised our four children in local public schools here in CA-14. Everything I've built — professionally and personally — is rooted in this community.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Families in this district are getting squeezed from every direction — rent, groceries, child care, healthcare — and it's getting harder to keep up no matter how hard you work. I know this firsthand. I've raised four kids in the East Bay, run a business here for over 20 years, and watched the cost of just about everything outpace what families can reasonably absorb. In Congress, I'll fight Trump's tariffs that are driving up everyday prices, push back on healthcare cuts that hurt working families, and focus relentlessly on building more housing and lowering costs.Trump's policies are doing real damage to real people in this district. I see it in my own neighborhood — families afraid of ICE raids, small businesses absorbing tariff costs they can't pass on, and kids losing access to healthcare. When my teenage daughter asked me about families being torn apart by deportations, that's when I knew I had to run. I'm an attorney who understands the rule of law, a Police Academy graduate who respects what it means to serve, and a mother who refuses to normalize what's happening. I will show up every single day to fight this administration's attacks on our democracy, our institutions, and our neighbors.Washington is broken in ways that are pretty hard to defend. Members of Congress trade stocks in industries they regulate. Career politicians have every incentive to keep their seats and almost none to fix anything. I want to change that by banning congressional stock trading, setting term limits, and establishing a retirement age of 75 for the President, Congress, and federal judges. These aren't radical ideas. Most Americans, regardless of party, already agree with them. But nothing else gets fixed until we fix this first.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I founded my education company in Fremont and spent two decades mentoring students through the most high-pressure years of their lives, not just on exams, but on the bigger questions shaping who they'd become. I've watched the college admissions process grow more stressful and less fair. As PTSA President at three different school levels, I heard directly from parents and teachers about what's working and what isn't. In Congress, I'd expand access to quality education, make sure federal dollars reach the students who need them most, and fight to prepare the next generation and our current workforce for an economy being reshaped by AI.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

As an educator, the most important thing I learned early on is that you cannot teach someone you haven't listened to first. The same is true in public service. Before you can represent people, you have to understand what their lives actually look like, not from a briefing document, but from sitting across from them and hearing it directly. I spent two decades in classrooms and in one-on-one sessions with students and families, and the moments that mattered most were never when I was talking. They were when I stopped and listened.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Showing up and listening is the job, not just at campaign events, but consistently, in every corner of the district, with people who didn't vote for you and may never agree with you. CA-14 is one of the most diverse congressional districts in the country. My job isn't to represent Democrats or Republicans. It's to represent the families in Fremont, Newark, Union City, Dublin, and every community in between, and to make sure their voices are heard in Washington regardless of how they voted. Too many elected officials mistake winning an election for a mandate to stop listening. I'd treat every day in office as an obligation to earn that trust again.

What legacy would you like to leave?

My biggest legacy that I would like to leave would be the Clean Up Washington Act by banning stock trading by members of Congress and their families, establishing term limits, and setting a mandatory retirement age of 75 for the President, Congress, and federal judges. The frustration Americans feel about Washington is justified. Members trade stocks in industries they regulate. Career politicians have every incentive to hold onto power and almost none to actually fix anything. You can't solve housing when lawmakers are invested in the companies driving up costs. You can't address the deficit honestly when the people writing the tax code are personally benefiting from the loopholes they won't close.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Three things keep me up at night. First, the erosion of trust in institutions, When people stop believing government can work, bad actors fill the void. Second, AI transforming the economy faster than our workforce can adapt, with the gains flowing to the top and the disruption falling on working families. Third, the cost of basic stability (housing, healthcare, child care) putting the American promise out of reach for people who are doing everything right.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Raja Krishnamoorthi (U.S. Congressman), Jeff Rosen (District Attorney, Santa Clara County), Pete Dailey (Mayor, Los Altos), Liang Chao (Vice Mayor, Cupertino), John Morada (City Councilmember, Dublin), Murali Srinivasan (City Councilmember, Sunnyvale), Yang Shao (City Councilmember, Fremont), Richa Awasthi (Fmr. Mayor and Councilmember, Foster City), Kathy Watanabe (Fmr. City Councilmember, Santa Clara), Pratibha Goyal (CA Democratic Party Delegate), Vivek Prasad (School Board Member, Fremont), Robert Jung (School Board Member, Milpitas), Diana Ding (Founder and CEO of Ding Ding TV), Henry Liang (Fmr. President, Citizens for Better Community)

What was the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember?

Iran Hostage Crisis