Rep. Barbara Lee announces a run for the Senate in 2024

After more than a month of speculation and rising expectations, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) announced on Tuesday that she will run for the US Senate next year.

Lee, who has been in the House of Representatives since 1998 representing the Oakland area after several years in the State Assembly and the Senate, has been the subject of intense speculation since January after Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) announced she would not run. for re-election in 2024. She reportedly told colleagues last month that she would be running for the Senate shortly after Congresswoman Kathy Porter’s nomination for the Senate was announced. This was followed by reports last week that Li had officially filed for the launch, with those close to Li saying she would make an official announcement by the end of the month.

Lee made the official announcement Tuesday, highlighting her long tenure in Congress, her extensive civil rights history, and the lack of women of color in the Senate in a series of announcements, statements and social media posts.

“Today, I am proud to announce my nomination for the US Senate,” Congresswoman Lee said Tuesday. “I have never given up on what is right. And I never will. Californians deserve a strong, progressive leader who makes real change.

“I’m running for the US Senate because Californians deserve a strong, progressive leader who gets real results and makes real change. This is what I’ve been doing my entire career in the public service, and this is what I’ll be doing in the Senate. Californians give my word that, whether it’s the climate crisis, addressing homelessness, lifting people out of poverty, easing the burden of the middle class, protecting our democracy, advocating for reproductive freedom, or securing our civil and human rights, I will never back down from fighting for something. , what is right”.

“When my high school said cheerleaders couldn’t be black, I took them. I worked with the NAACP and earned my place as, guess what, the first black cheerleader in the school. And although there are no African-American women in the United States Senate, we will not let that stop us. Because when you’re on the side of justice, you won’t leave unless they give you a seat at the table. You bring a folding chair for everyone and they are here to stay.”

“California people deserve a strong, progressive leader who makes real change. For those who say my time is up, well, when does making changes go out of style?”

Lee also highlighted many of the important pieces of legislation she worked on during her time in Congress, such as the Violence Against Women Act and the Hate Crime Reduction Act. However, she also brought out what many saw as her negative traits and actions, such as running for the Senate in the late 70s, at a time when older age is being more scrutinized, as well as her controversial and divisive decision to be the only vote against the Authorization to Use Military Force 2001 (AUMF) in 2001, just days after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.

“In the face of countless death threats, I was the only nay voter,” Lee added on Tuesday.

Lee will challenge Porter and Schiff for a Senate seat next year

Now that Lee has joined Porter and Rep. Adam Schiff (R-Calif.) in the Senate race, she has ensured that the race won’t be a head-to-head battle between the last two lawmakers, as many predicted. Instead, since Lee, as well as other prominent California lawmakers, may be running proposing issues, it has ensured that the race will also bring a tough primary.

“Lee is pretty liberal and she’s running against the also-liberal Porter and Schiff,” Bay Area pollster Jessica Young told the Globe on Tuesday. “But she also brings the voice of NorCal, the voice of an African American and a woman of color, to the race, not to mention a lot of political experience. So she can really turn everything upside down and become a serious contender.”

“But she will also come with a lot of luggage. She voted against the AUMF just after 9/11, a decision that is still seen by most Americans as insane. She also had a radical background: her first political experience was with Bobby Seal and the Black Panthers and praised dictators like Fidel Castro.

“Her statement and today’s publicity does try to paint a picture of her coming from a poorer background and stubbornly moving up the political ladder, but ignoring much of the political help she received along the way. And, of course, her age. If Porter and Schiff are smart, they will leave the issue of age up for discussion by others and won’t bring it up in debate because, as Lee showed in her ad, she’s quite open to that argument. Not so much on issues like dealing with radicals.”

“Overall, it’s been a solid entry into the race for Lee, but she has so much baggage that it can be difficult for her to get through the primary.”

Other candidates are expected to announce official Senate scores next year.

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