Since 1998, Congresswoman Barbara Lee has represented California’s 12th congressional district in the House of Representatives and is currently running for California’s open United States (US) Senate seat, formerly occupied by Senator Dianne Feinstein. Currently polling in fourth place at 9.1%, Congresswoman Lee, in anticipation of today’s (Tuesday, March 5, 2024) primary elections, held a rally in the Inland Empire (IE) to garner support for her campaign.
Beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 3, 2024, the “Barbara Lee Speak for U.S.! Inland Empire Rally & Mobilization,“ garnered a small crowd of approximately three dozen supporters. During her time on stage, Congresswoman Lee addressed the low turnout explaining that, “people have not really tuned in [to the election] and are struggling to survive, so this is not a top priority.” She elaborated further, “I also know that many voters do not believe that elected officials can or will deliver; they make promises they don’t keep. I understand that, but I also understand that if you don’t have a voice and if you don’t have a vote, you won’t have a voice at the table.”
The event opened with remarks from the executive director of Inland Empire United, Sky Allen. Here, she shared a little bit about her organization and welcomed Congresswoman Lee back to the IE. Founded in 2017, IE United is a collaboration of community agents and leaders “affecting change in Riverside and San Bernardino county.”
According to Allen, “we recognize that people in the [IE] do not get the appropriate share of resources and for a long time our elected officials didn’t represent the way our communities looked or the way our communities felt about issues that matter to us on a day to day basis, and we knew that we needed to work from the ground up to address and close the gap. Making sure that folks who represent us actually have our interests in mind and the policy aligns with what we need.”
Approximately a year ago, before Congresswomen Lee launched her senate campaign, she flew out to the IE to meet with local elected officials and community leaders, because, according to Allen, she “recognized the value of the IE … she knew that she needed to actually talk to the community to speak for the community.” This initiative to prioritize learning the needs of her future potential constituents spurred IE United to endorse and support Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s campaign for senate.
Following the introduction by Allen, San Bernardino Mayor, Helen Tran, spoke in support of Congresswoman Lee’s campaign. Echoing Congresswoman Lee’s campaign slogan throughout her speech, Mayor Tran stated, “Barbara Lee speaks for me, and for all of San Bernardino because she is what we need in the senate.” The mayor thanked Congresswoman Lee for her dedication to communicating with IE officials and for running for senate. The San Bernardino mayor ended her speech by introducing Congresswoman Lee to the audience so she could answer some questions about her senatorial campaign.
Congresswoman Lee began her speech by thanking the mayor and IE United for their support regarding her campaign. She emphasized the importance of communicating with local leaders because she needs to know what people need from her and what their views are for the future of their cities and the state as a whole.
Characterizing herself as the “most experienced, most consistent and most progressive candidate in this race, ”Congresswoman Lee went on to explain examples of her bi-partisan efforts and her record of constantly striving for “global peace and security.”
In 2001, Congresswoman Lee was the sole no-vote in the US House of Representatives regarding authorization for military force in the aftermath of 9/11, an initiative spearheaded by President George Bush. Despite, in her words, “disagreeing with [George Bush] on every single thing,” she “worked with him to get the job done.” Congresswoman Lee further elaborated, “I’ve worked with [Bush] to deliver on our Global HIV and AIDS initiatives, helping to save 25 million lives.”
Almost 23 years after being the sole vote against the War on Terror, Congresswoman Lee is now the sole major candidate in this senate race calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. She began by emphasizing her experience in the Middle East and by condemning the acts of Hamas on Oct. 7. Congresswoman Lee elaborated, “we’re up to 30,000 plus [Palestinian] civilians[of which a] large majority [are] women and children, [killed]. That is not a counter-terrorism measure, that is waging war on civilians … the only way that there will be peace and security for the Israelis and the Palestinians is through a permanent ceasefire. That will allow for the release of the hostages, and the beginning of a diplomatic and political solution.”
After her discussion of the situation in the Middle East, Congresswoman Lee answered a question from the audience regarding her stance on pollution and the Green New Deal. She emphasized her support for a “green, fossil fuel free economy,” while ensuring that workers within these fields transition smoothly without losing their jobs or retirement benefits. Secondly, Congresswoman Lee, iterated her support for clean water initiatives for Californians who are living without access to clean water.
As a closer to the campaign rally, Congresswoman Lee stated, ”I just want to say promises made, promises kept. You can check my record.”
Following the event, The Highlander had the opportunity to speak with Congresswoman Lee and some of her supporters.
In the event that she loses the senate race, according to Congresswomen Lee, she has no intention of re-running for her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Instead she endorsed Lateefah Simon, a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Board of Directors member, for her seat in the 12th district.
Emphasizing support for Congresswoman Lee’s senate campaign, regional director for Region 16 of the California Democratic Party, Joe Salas, and an attendee of the rally, stated, “Barbara Lee is the only candidate who is on the side of making humanity prosper at its highest level … If we would have listened to Barbara Lee 23 years ago, America would be in a better off place.”
Salas later stated that Congresswoman Lee, out of the three Democratic candidates running for the senate seat, “has been [in the IE] the most … making personal connections with people; there’s investments in the relationships here on so many human levels, on her political record and current campaign, that’s why I came out in support today.”
Another attendee of the event, Jose Marquez Cuevas, who works in the infectious disease sector of public health as well as a non-profit immigrants rights organization, emphasized his support for Congresswoman Lee’s senate campaign. Cuevas stated that Congresswoman Barbara Lee is the only candidate so far to push for a permanent ceasefire, which was an issue of extreme importance to him, given that he was recently arrested for an action calling for a permanent ceasefire in Palestine.
Cuevas further stressed his support, stating that Congresswoman Lee “has been the most vocal progressive candidate … we need to have someone that really represents our people, that’s not being bought out by big corporations.”
If elected, Congresswoman Lee stated that she intends to continue her legacy of social justice, through “furthering these causes by being an effective legislator, appropriator, negotiator and also working with the community.” She declared her intentions to “build a new table,” where everyone has a seat, because “it is important to our democracy that everyone have a seat at the table.”
