Barbara Lee trails badly in California Senate race. Why she’s ruling out a return to the House

U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee is losing her campaign to become California’s next senator, but she’s not willing to give up quite yet.

The Oakland congresswoman remains far behind Los Angeles Rep. Adam Schiff and Orange County Rep. Katie Porter in the lead-up to the March 5 primary, when voters will select two candidates to advance to the November general election.

A Public Policy Institute of California poll taken in early to mid-October shows 9% of likely voters prefer Lee. This puts her in third place behind Schiff, who has the support of 21% of likely voters, and Porter, who drew 18%.

But Lee, 77, said she is determined to remain in the race. She told The Sacramento Bee in an interview Friday that she has no plans to shift gears and seek re-election to a 14th term in the House before the Dec. 8 filing deadline.

“I’m running for the Senate,” she said.

A handful of candidates are vying to replace Lee in the House, including Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) board member Lateefah Simon, CSU East Bay professor Jennifer Tran, Alameda vice mayor Tony Daysog and small business owner and veteran Tim Sanchez.

Politico on Nov. 2 reported Gov. Gavin Newsom endorsed Simon to fill the seat.

Lee in need of name recognition

The congresswoman is clear-eyed about her main challenge, which is lack of recognition outside of her Bay Area congressional district.

“The polls also show when they know me, know my story and how I connect with people — because my lived experiences are very similar to so many people here in the state — then they say, ‘Yeah, we support her,’” Lee said.

Schiff attained national fame for his leadership role in the impeachment of former President Donald Trump. Porter has branded herself a consumer protection champion who uses a white dry-erase board when she grills CEOs during congressional hearings.

“They have their TV moments, right?” Lee said. “You don’t see me. I’m not a show horse. I’m not on TV every day. I’m doing the work.”

“I’m not saying anything negative about the white board and being on television,” she added. “But you don’t see me on television every day because I’m finding the money, the federal money. I’m fighting the good fight against the right-wing MAGA Republicans, and the press doesn’t pick up what I do as much.”

Lee’s signature moment came more than 20 years ago, when she was the lone member of Congress to vote against authorizing the use of military force in 2001 after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Now, she said, cable news outlets like MSNBC do not invite her on to talk about her legislative accomplishments. Morning Joe featured a segment about the challenges around continuing the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which she led efforts to pass in 2003.

“They haven’t called the author of that legislation to talk to them,” Lee said. “They’ve got everybody else, who are white, but I’m the one who did it.”

Fundraising challenges

Lee is struggling to compete with Schiff and Porter for money.

She had about $1.3 million in cash on hand as of Sept. 30, according to Federal Elections Commission campaign finance reports.

Porter had more than $11 million in cash on hand. Schiff, who leads the pack, had about $32.1 million.

“As a woman, as an African American woman, the donor base is not what other candidates have,” Lee said. “I’ll never raise the kind of money that my opponents can raise because of who I am.”

She is relying on coalition-building and support from progressive organizations like Our Revolution and the Working Families Party, both of which have endorsed her.

Lee cited Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’s 2022 campaign, in which she prevailed, even after being vastly outspent by opponent Rick Caruso.

With less money comes fewer advertising dollars, meaning the congresswoman will need to carefully consider where to spend them.

“We have to see this as a grassroots campaign,” Lee said. “Yes, we’re raising money to do media, but I’m not going to be able blanket the state. It has to be targeted.”

A relatable risk-taker

Above all, Lee is leaning on her bona fides as a Californian with a relatable story who has not been afraid to take risks throughout her career.

She speaks often of her beginnings as a single mother who was raising two young sons while attending college and graduate school.

“I think it’s my perspective, my lived experiences,” Lee said, when asked what distinguishes her from Porter and Schiff.

“I was on public assistance, food stamps, Medi-Cal,” she said. “(I) had take my kids to school, to class with me because I didn’t have money for child care.”

Lee also cited her willingness to lead on issues others were reticent to take on, including abortion, HIV/AIDS care and military intervention after Sept. 11.

One very California example dates back more than 25 years, when Lee and Schiff were both serving in the state Senate. Lee was a vocal opponent of the state’s “three strikes” law, which increases penalties for people repeatedly convicted of serious or violent felonies.

Under the 1994 law, Californians could receive 25 years to life in prison for any third felony, regardless of the severity of the crime.

Lee in 1997 authored a bill limiting the use of the 25-years-to-life third strike sentence to serious or violent felonies.

The bill failed on the Senate floor, with Schiff casting one of the no votes.

When asked about his vote, Schiff spokeswoman Maryam Ahmed said the congressman is “proud of his work to reform our criminal justice system and invest in our communities.”

California voters eventually approved the three strikes change through a ballot measure in 2012 — 15 years after Lee called for it.