Barbara Lee

Barbara Lee
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California
Incumbent
Assumed office April 21, 1998
Preceded by	Ron Dellums
Constituency	9th district (1998–2013) 13th district (2013–2023) 12th district (2023–present)
Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus
In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick
Succeeded by	Emanuel Cleaver
Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus
In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2009 Serving with Lynn Woolsey
Preceded by	Peter DeFazio (as chair)
Succeeded by	Raúl Grijalva
Member of the California State Senate from the 9th district
In office December 2, 1996 – April 17, 1998
Preceded by	Nicholas 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 (1990–1992) 16th district (1992–1996)
Personal details
Born	Barbara Jean Tutt (1946-07-16) July 16, 1946 (age 77) El Paso, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Carl Lee ​ ​ (m. 1964; div. 1966)​ Clyde Oden ​ (m. 2019)​
Children	2
Education	Mills College (BA) University of California, Berkeley (MSW)
Website	House website Campaign website
Barbara Lee's voice Barbara Lee speaks in opposition to military force against Afghanistan Recorded September 14, 2001

Barbara Jean Lee (née Tutt; born July 16, 1946) is an American politician and social worker who has served as a U.S. representative from California since 1998. A member of the Democratic Party, Lee represents California's 12th congressional district (numbered as the 9th district from 1998 to 2013 and as the 13th district from 2013 to 2023), which is based in Oakland and covers most of the northern part of Alameda County. According to the Cook Partisan Voting Index, it is one of the nation's most Democratic districts, with a rating of D+40.^[1]

Born and raised in Texas, Lee was educated at Mills College and the University of California, Berkeley. She started her career by working on the presidential campaign of Shirley Chisholm, and she later was involved with the Black Panther Party. After working as chief of staff for U.S. Representative Ron Dellums, Lee served in the California State Assembly from 1990 to 1996 and in the California State Senate from 1996 to 1998.

Lee was elected to the House of Representatives in a 1998 special election to succeed Dellums. A noted progressive, she chaired the Congressional Progressive Caucus from 2005 to 2009 and the Congressional Black Caucus from 2009 to 2011.^[2] In addition, she is the vice chair and a founding member of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, a co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, and a co-chair of the House Democratic Steering Committee.^[3] She has played a major role in the antiwar movement, notably in her vocal criticism of the Iraq War and for being the only member of Congress to vote against the authorization of use of force following the September 11 attacks.^[4][5]

Lee was a candidate for the United States Senate in the 2024 election to succeed late senator Dianne Feinstein,^[6] a race that she would lose to Rep. Adam Schiff and former baseball player Steve Garvey. During this race, Lee would forgo re-election to the House of Representatives.