Barbara Lee

Barbara Lee
Co-Chair of the House Democratic Steering Committee
Assumed office
January 3, 2019
Serving with Eric Swalwell and Cheri Bustos
LeaderNancy Pelosi
Hakeem Jeffries
Preceded byPosition established
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from California
Assumed office
April 21, 1998
Preceded byRon Dellums
Succeeded byLateefah Simon (elect)
Constituency9th district (1998–2013)
13th district (2013–2023)
12th district (2023–present)
Member of the California State Senate
from the 9th district
In office
December 2, 1996 – April 17, 1998
Preceded byNicholas Petris
Succeeded byDon Perata
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 16th district
13th district (1990–1992)
In office
December 3, 1990 – November 30, 1996
Preceded byElihu Harris
Succeeded byDon Perata
Personal details
Born
Barbara Jean Tutt

(1946-07-16) July 16, 1946 (age 78)
El Paso, Texas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Clyde Oden
​
(m. 2019)​
Children2
EducationMills College (BA)
University of California, Berkeley (MSW)
WebsiteHouse website

Barbara Jean Lee (née Tutt; born July 16, 1946) is an American politician. She is a U.S. representative from California since 1998. She is a member of the Democratic Party.[1]

Lee used to be chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (2005–2009).[2]

She is a critic of the Iraq War and the only member of Congress to vote against the use of military force after the September 11 attacks.[3][4]

On November 28, 2018, Lee lost an election to become chair of the House Democratic Caucus to New York Representative Hakeem Jeffries.[5] She blamed ageism and sexism for losing.[6]

In January 2023, it was reported that Lee planned to run for the United States Senate seat currently held by Dianne Feinstein in the 2024.[7] In February 2023, she officially announced her candidacy, a week after Feinstein announced her retirement. Lee formally launched her Senate campaign on February 21, 2023.[8] However, she lost the primary election because she wasn't one of the top two candidates.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Wasserman, David. "Introducing the 2022 Cook Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI)". The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Committees & Caucuses | Barbara Lee - Congresswoman for the 13th District of California". lee.house.gov. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  3. ↑ Final Vote Results for Roll Call 342, U.S. House of Representatives. Accessed April 7, 2007.
  4. ↑ "Conyers Denounces Death Threats Against Rep. Barbara Lee" (Press release). Office of Representative John Conyers, Jr., United States House of Representatives. September 19, 2001. Archived from the original on March 2, 2008. Retrieved March 5, 2008.
  5. ↑ Caygle, Heather; Bresnahan, John. "Hakeem Jeffries defeats Barbara Lee in battle for Dem Caucus chair". POLITICO.
  6. ↑ Wire, Sarah D. (November 28, 2018). "California Rep. Barbara Lee falls short in bid to become the first black woman in House leadership". Los Angeles Times.
  7. ↑ "Barbara Lee tells lawmakers she's running for Senate". Politico. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Barbara Lee, a Longtime Congresswoman, Is Running for Senate in California". The New York Times. January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  9. ↑ "California Senate race: Schiff and Garvey advance as Porter fades". POLITICO. March 5, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.