Lee officially announces run for California Senate seat

by Caroline Vakil - 02/21/23 9:52 AM ET

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) announced on Tuesday that she is running for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D) seat in California, capping off weeks of speculation and following a move earlier this month to file paperwork to run in the race.

“I’m running for US Senate because Californians deserve a strong, progressive leader who has accomplished real things and delivered real change. That’s what I’ve done my entire career in public service, and it’s what I’ll do in the Senate,” Lee said in a statement.

“Californians have my word that, whether it’s the climate crisis, solutions to homelessness, lifting people out of poverty, easing the burden on the middle class, protecting our Democracy, standing up for reproductive freedom, or ensuring our civil and human rights, I will never back down from fighting for what’s right,” she added.

Feinstein announced earlier this month that she would not be seeking reelection, and Lee joins Reps. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who have both already announced their own runs for the seat, in what is expected to be a crowded primary.

In her first campaign ad, Lee touched on her personal history as a single mother who previously experienced homelessness and touted her work on the Violence Against Women Act and Hate Crimes Reduction Act.

In the ad, she also pointed out that there’s no Black women currently serving in the Senate, forecasting one of her major pitches to California voters in a race against two high-profile Democrats, one of whom is a key progressive in the House and another who served as a lead impeachment manager in former President Trump’s first impeachment trial.

“And even though there are no African American women in the United States Senate, we won’t let that stop us either,” she says in the ad.

“Because when you stand on the side of justice, you don’t quit if they don’t give you a seat at the table. You bring a folding chair for everyone and they’re here to stay,” she added, in a nod to former Rep. Shirley Chisholm (D-N.Y.), the first Black woman to serve in Congress.

Updated at 11:14 a.m.