Race is on for Barbara Lee's House seat in East Bay
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JANUARY 19: Congresswoman Barbara Lee speaks onstage at Civic Center Plaza during the Womens March San Francisco on January 19, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, Calif. - Since 1998, California's 12th Congressional District has been represented by Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland). But in 2024, Lee has her sights set on a role with even greater influence – the U.S. Senate seat that was vacated when Senator Dianne Feinstein died last fall.
Lee won't be able to hold on to her congressional seat due to California law, which prevents her from simultaneously running for both the House and Senate. The same law applies to her political opponents – Rep. Katie Porter and Rep. Adam Schiff, in the upcoming Super Tuesday race. They will also be vacating their seats in Southern California.
California's Presidential Primary Election is Tuesday, March 5.
Voters will take the first step in deciding who succeeds Lee for her U.S. House California District 12 seat, which covers Albany to San Leandro. In the primary, two of the congressional candidates will emerge and move forward to the general election in November.
Sonoma State University Political Science Professor David McCuan says Lee is a liberal giant, a staunch representative from her district and that there are some big shoes to fill here, when it comes to occupying her seat.
This particular race isn't getting as much attention as some of the others, but the field of candidates is crowded nonetheless. "Whoever replaces Lee steps into a big legacy of activism and progressive influence," McCuan said.
Seven Democrats and two Republicans are vying for the seat to be vacated by Lee, who is the highest-ranking Black woman in Congress.
California's 12th District includes Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, Piedmont and San Leandro. More than 750,000 people are represented in this area.
Who are the top candidates?
The candidates in this race range from Alameda's vice mayor to business owners, a retired driving instructor, and a faculty member at San Francisco State University.
Lateefah Simon is in this race. Constituents may know her from being a BART board of directors member. She's also in the advantageous position of having secured Rep. Lee's endorsement.
Lateefah Simon, President of Akonadi Foundation speaks at a Gov. Newsom press conference on Friday, June 5, 2020.
Simon, has served on the board since 2016, and was board president in 2020. The civil rights and racial justice advocate is also endorsed by the two U.S. Senators from California, Sen. Alex Padilla and Sen. Laphonza Butler, as well as California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
According to her campaign website, Simon was "galvanized" by the death of Oscar Grant which was what led to her running for the BART board. Her goal at BART was to make public transit more affordable for those who rely on it and for working families. Last month's fare increases could have been as high as 11%, but instead, the BART board went a different direction and only imposed a 5.5% fare hike.
Given her major endorsements, McCuan says Simon is a favorite in the race to finish in the top two in the ranked-choice election.
Alameda's Vice Mayor and city Councilmember Tony Daysog is considered to be Simon's major competition. "Daysog's campaign itself doesn't hold a candle to Simon's – yet he likely angles into the second spot of the top two," McCuan said.
Daysog calls himself a progressive running on a "peace and fairness" platform. He wants to reduce our military footprint in Europe, protect veterans' benefits, address the rise of sea-level and climate change. Daysog wants to implement gun control measures by having a minimum age requirement of 21-25 years old and would bolsters background checks.
As part of Daysog's ‘fairness and justice’ platform, he would also work to make higher education – including college, universities and trade schools – affordable, in addition to lowering student loan interest rates. Finally, the vice mayor makes a pledge to save Social Security.
San Francisco Chronicle senior political writer Joe Garofoli has noted 33% of California's House members are women and with the upcoming election, those numbers could shrink with the Bay Area possibly losing some of its female representation.
No matter what the outcome is, McCuan sums it up as such, "There won't be another like Barbara Lee anytime soon in Congress."