Rep. Barbara Lee from Oakland confirmed on Tuesday that she will campaign for the Senate seat being vacated by Dianne Feinstein.
The 13-term congresswoman joins her Democratic colleagues Reps. Adam Schiff from Los Angeles and Katie Porter from Orange County in the 2024 race.
“I’m running for U.S. Senate because Californians deserve a strong, progressive leader who has accomplished real things and delivered real change,” Lee said in a video statement.
Lee, who is 76, said that if elected to the Senate she would focus on the climate crisis, solutions to homelessness, lifting people out of poverty, easing the burden on the middle class, protecting democracy, standing up for reproductive freedom, and ensuring civil and human rights.
The congresswoman, who is Black, cited a history of fighting against discrimination, starting with a battle to become the first Black cheerleader at her high school and the first Black woman elected to the state Assembly, state Senate, and Congress from Northern California.
“When you stand on the side of justice, you don’t quit if they don’t give you a seat at the table,” Lee said.
