WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 25: Democratic U.S. Vice Presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) attend a memorial service in honor of the late Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the Statuary Hall of the US Capitol …
OAKLAND, Calif. - Congresswoman Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, who this week won her 12th term in Congress, is celebrating the election of her friend and fellow East Bay native and Joe Biden's running mate, Kamala Harris.
Harris is set to become the first female vice-president, as well as the first person of African American and Southeast Asian descent to hold the office.
Lee has been mentioned among frontrunners to replace Harris in the Senate when Biden and Harris take office in January. California Gov. Gavin Newsom hasn't said publicly whom he's considering.
Lee released a statement Saturday, saying "This is a historic day. President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are the right leaders for the right time, as they've earned the highest popular vote count in American history. As we fight back a dangerous pandemic and economic disaster, systemic racism, and a climate crisis, we need leadership that unifies us and prepares us to meet the challenges of tomorrow."
Lee, who said she considers Harris a close friend, said "As a native of the East Bay Area, she is making her hometown proud. Kamala Harris has a history of being a trailblazer. She was the first Black Attorney General in California, first Black and Indian American Woman to serve in the United States Senate from California, and now she enters the White House as the first Black and Indian American Woman in history to serve as Vice President."
"VP-elect Harris is following in the footsteps of my mentor and guiding light, the late Shirley Chisholm," Lee said. "It's only fitting that this week marks 52 years since Congresswoman Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to Congress. Now, we get to see her vision realized. Representation matters, and young women of color will see Senator Harris in the White House and know that they can be there too. Congresswoman Chisholm is smiling down on us today."
"The results of this election prove that democracy prevails," Lee said. "We still choose love over hate, science over fiction, and unity over division. With record voter turnout around the country despite all the obstacles, to quote the legendary poet Dr. Maya Angelou, "and still we rise." America has risen out of one of our darkest periods, and we will continue fighting to ensure our America lives up to the promise of liberty and justice for all."