Barbara Lee

Barbara Lee
Official portrait, 2025
52nd Mayor of Oakland
Assumed office
May 20, 2025
Preceded byKevin Jenkins (acting)
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from California
In office
April 21, 1998 – January 3, 2025
Preceded byRon Dellums
Succeeded byLateefah Simon
Constituency9th district (1998–2013)
13th district (2013–2023)
12th district (2023–2025)
House positions
Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus
In office
January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011
Preceded byCarolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick
Succeeded byEmanuel Cleaver
Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus
In office
January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2009
Serving with Lynn Woolsey
Preceded byPeter DeFazio
Succeeded byRaúl Grijalva
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
In office
December 3, 1990 – November 30, 1996
Preceded byElihu Harris
Succeeded byDon Perata
Constituency13th district (1990–1992)
16th district (1992–1996)
Personal details
Born
Barbara Jean Tutt

(1946-07-16) July 16, 1946 (age 80)
El Paso, Texas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
  • Carl Lee
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1964; div. 1966)​
  • Clyde Oden
    ​
    (m. 2019)​
Children2
EducationMills College (BA)
University of California, Berkeley (MSW)
WebsiteCampaign website
Lee's voice
Lee opposing military force against Afghanistan.
Recorded September 14, 2001

Barbara Jean Lee (born July 16, 1946) is an American politician who has been the Mayor of Oakland, California since 2025. She was a U.S. representative from California from 1998 to 2025. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Career

2000s

Lee used to be chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (2005–09). 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.

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.

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. 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. However, she lost the primary election because she was not one of the top two candidates.

Footnotes

  1. ↑ née Tutt

References

  1. ↑ Mukherjee, Shomik. "Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee promises 'government you can trust' at swearing-in". Mercury News. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
  2. ↑ Wasserman, David. "Introducing the 2022 Cook Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI)". The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  3. ↑ "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.
  4. ↑ Final Vote Results for Roll Call 342, U.S. House of Representatives. Accessed April 7, 2007.
  5. ↑ "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.
  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. ↑ 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.