Barbara Lee
Barbara Lee | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| 52nd Mayor of Oakland | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office May 20, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Kevin Jenkins (acting) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| In office April 21, 1998 – January 3, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Ron Dellums | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Lateefah Simon | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | 9th district (1998–2013) 13th district (2013–2023) 12th district (2023–2025) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of the California State Senate from the 9th district | |||||||||||||||||||||
| In office December 2, 1996 – April 17, 1998 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Nicholas C. Petris | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Don Perata | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of the California State Assembly | |||||||||||||||||||||
| In office December 3, 1990 – November 30, 1996 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Elihu Harris | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Don Perata | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | 13th district (1990–92) 16th district (1992–96) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Barbara Jean Tutt July 16, 1946 El Paso, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Democratic | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) |
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| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Mills College (BA) University of California, Berkeley (Master of Social Work) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | Campaign website | ||||||||||||||||||||
Barbara Jean Lee[a] (born July 16, 1946) is an American politician. She was a U.S. representative from California from 1998 to 2025. She became Mayor of Oakland, California on May 20, 2025.[1] She is a member of the Democratic Party.[2]
Career
2000s
Lee used to be chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (2005–09).[3] She is a critic of the Iraq War and the only member of Congress to vote against the use of force after the September 11 attacks.[4][5]
2010s
On November 28, 2018, Lee lost an election to become chair of the House Democratic Caucus to New York Representative Hakeem Jeffries. She blamed ageism and sexism for losing.[6]
2020s
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 special election.[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 was not one of the top two candidates.[9]
Footnotes
References
- ↑ Mukherjee, Shomik. "Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee promises 'government you can trust' at swearing-in". Mercury News. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
- ↑ Wasserman, David. "Introducing the 2022 Cook Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI)". The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
- ↑ "Committees & Caucuses | Barbara Lee - Congresswoman for the 13th District of California". lee.house.gov. Archived from the original on 2018-04-04. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
- ↑ Final Vote Results for Roll Call 342, U.S. House of Representatives. Accessed April 7, 2007.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Barbara Lee tells lawmakers she's running for Senate". Politico. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ↑ "Barbara Lee, a Longtime Congresswoman, Is Running for Senate in California". The New York Times. January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
- ↑ Smith, Erika D. (March 10, 2024). "California isn't sending a Black woman to the Senate. But Barbara Lee won anyway". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 22, 2025.