For 20 years, Barbara Lee has served the East Bay in Congress as a strong voice for principles IEB holds dear. We were proud to strongly support her for Democratic Caucus Chair of the incoming Blue House of Representatives. Now, we congratulate Representative Hakeem Jeffries of Brooklyn, who won this position in an election in the House on November 28. We think he is very well-qualified, but we do worry about the role that ageism and sexism plays in situations like these (a concern Rep. Lee has shared) and we ask Rep. Jeffries to use all the power of his new office to fight such threats to equality and equity. We are confident that Rep. Jeffries is a powerful supporter of progressive policies. And while Rep. Lee’s long history of bravery, experience and wisdom made her a truly exceptional candidate, we hope and expect that Rep. Jeffries will take his ascension to leadership as an opportunity to show a courage and vision to rival hers.
Barbara Lee still speaks for us.
For more background, check out Politico’s How Barbara Lee Became An Army of One.
Here is IEB’s Statement of Support, endorsing Rep. Lee, that we posted prior to the election:
Barbara Lee - IEB Statement of Support
