Barbara Lee has represented Oakland and parts of the East Bay in the House of Representatives since 1998 and is in the race for California’s U.S. Senate seat that will open up after Sen. Laphonza Butler finishes the current term. Butler was appointed to the seat after the death of Dianne Feinstein.
In the race are fellow Democratic House members as well as several Republican contenders, but in a mid-December interview, Lee said that the things she has experienced in her life give her insight into the economic and healthcare struggles of everyday Americans.
At the health facility named after her in the San Leandro Unified School District, Lee states some of the causes that she has fought for as a member of the House and will continue to fight for in the U.S. Senate if elected.
“It’s all about health and wellness,” Lee said. “So many young people don’t have access to healthcare and mental healthcare…I’m sure when young people come into an exam room, they are not sure what to expect. But you come in here and look at the art, look at how calming it is, how beautiful it is, look at what’s on the wall, and I’m sure they feel comfortable with whatever is going to take place next, in terms of their exam, and that’s important.”
“They get the care they need and would not have if not for this center because we know what’s happening now in our healthcare system. It’s not accessible and affordable for everyone. Who knows what would happen to these young people if they did not have access to dental and mental health care.”
Lee says that her understanding and handling of the current affordability crisis, as well as her accomplishments in previous public office, is why she believes she stands out in the race.
“There is an affordability crisis, and the drivers of the cost of living in California are housing costs, childcare, and healthcare.”
“Looking at this center, understanding what they are doing for our children is what I am doing in Congress. The campaign brings all of this together because what I am trying to do is explain my history.”
“I started the children’s health program when I was in the California Legislature, so people need to know what I have done and how that’s a determining factor and a driver of what I will do in the U.S. Senate, and that’s fighting for people such as young people who don’t have these opportunities in California, knowing that I’m there and that I see them and I will fight for them.”
Lee also says that her perspective as a Black woman is needed in Congress.
“Representation matters. The first Senate and House went into session in 1789. Since 1789, there have been two elected African American women and one appointed, serving a total of 10 years. So it’s time. The strength, perspective, the understanding of Black women is missing [and] has been missing and will be missing,” Lee said.
“The lens that I bring, having lived a life that so many here in California have lived: being a former welfare recipient, living paycheck to paycheck, raising two small kids, spending money for childcare, going to college, and taking my children with me to class because I could not afford it.”
“20 million people in California [are] one paycheck away from poverty, so I have many lived experiences. I’ve been without a place to live, and coming as a Black woman, I’ve had lived experiences that my other opponents have not had, and that’s extremely important.”
One of the lived experiences she says she’ll never forget dates back to when she was 15 years old when she went to Mexico to get an abortion.
“My mother’s friend was a Latina and took me across the border and I was terrified because it was illegal in Mexico, illegal in Texas, illegal in California, it was illegal everywhere. Just like now, all of these states that have criminalized abolition care, so I was really worried,” she said.
“I was afraid that I was going to be put in jail… but I had to do this. I’ll never forget it. It was late at night — about 10:30 or 11:00 — [in a] back-alley clinic. I remember exactly that moment and I remember the fear.”
“During that time, the highest rate of death for Black women and Black girls was septic abortions, so I thought I could die. So you combine that fear of dying, of being arrested, fast forward to now. I had to step up and tell my story because I wanted other people to know that there was a member of Congress who understood what this meant. I am going to work day and night to get access to abortion as a federal policy.”
On foreign policy, Lee believes her record also stands out, noting that after the September 11 attacks, she was the sole member of Congress to vote against the Afghanistan war authorization.
Closer to home, she says she’s experienced something many Californians can relate to: homelessness.
“It was awful because I was a survivor of domestic violence. I didn’t have any money, didn’t have any place to go. I was out there roaming around. Fortunately, every now and then I could get some money, and get a part-time job, but not enough to pay rent.”
“I was in these fleabag hotels in San Francisco, it was awful. The damage, the trauma of being without a place to live, and for people living on the streets, that’s immoral, it’s unethical. They have been criminalized, the majority of them get put in jail instead of a decent shelter with mental health services and job training, so it’s a big issue for me.”
On a visit to the first-ever home that Lee bought when she was a single mother in Oakland, she described why affordable housing is such a big issue for her.
“When I was here, I was on public assistance, food stamps, and Medi-Cal. Why this is important is housing, affordable housing is so important to Californians, especially for people like me, who would dream of being able to buy a house. (At the time) this house was expensive. It was $19,475.”
“But the federal government had a HUD program that allowed people like me who were on public assistance, food stamps, Medi-Cal, raising two little kids and taking them to class with me at Mills College because I couldn’t afford childcare, my government did that. It helped me. I was able to use the equity in this house and send my kids to college. I was able to start a small business.”
“I share this story because it’s important that we understand that young people and low-income people deserve to be homeowners if they so desire because it’s the only way and the main pathway to acquire wealth in this country. Being back here in my first home where I paid $19,475 is very settling for me.”
“It also makes me more determined to make sure that everyone, people like myself, people who don’t have a lot of money, people who are struggling, have a way to go to their government to help them out during some very difficult times.”
Nexstar is following candidates to see what it is like to balance work and family during the U.S. Senate campaign. While there are some policy discussions in the story, the project is intended to capture glimpses of what you don’t see in traditional campaign coverage. All candidates received the request to participate at the same time. Candid coverage is being published as candidates make themselves available. In order to qualify, candidates must have polled above 5% in the most recent Nexstar poll. Look for features on additional Senate candidates in the coming days and weeks.
