Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) has told fellow members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) that she plans to run for Senate, sources told Politico on Wednesday.
Lee reportedly informed her colleagues of her intentions during a closed door meeting of the CBC on Wednesday.
However, when asked about her plans, Lee said she would make a formal announcement “when it’s appropriate.”
She added, “Right now, in respect to [Sen.] Dianne Feinstein and the floods and what I’m doing, I’m doing my work. And we’ll let them know when I intend to go to the next step. But now’s the time not to talk about that.”
Lee declined to say whether she would run against 89-year-old Sen. Feinstein if the California Democrat chose to run again. So far, Feinstein has remained silent about her future plans.
The news of Lee’s intentions come one day after Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) formally announced that she was running for Senate in 2024.
Lee and Porter are expected to be just two of a list of House Democrats from California who might run for Feinstein’s seat, should she choose to retire. Other contenders include Adam Schiff, Eric Swalwell and Ro Khanna.
However, should Feinstein choose to retire before the end of her current term, Lee is a likely replacement. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) vetted Lee when he chose then-state Secretary of State Alex Padilla to replace then-Sen. Kamala Harris as she departed for the Vice Presidency, and he has publicly committed to choosing a Black woman should he get the chance to make another appointment.
