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Barbara Lee

Barbara Lee

  • Democratic
Career

Mayor of Oakland, California - 2025-present
U.S. House of Representatives, 1998-2025
California State Senate, 1996-1998
California State Assembly, 1990-1996
Mayor of Oakland, 2025-present

Education

Mills College
University of California - Berkley

Details

Born: Jul 16, 1946

Mayor State Representative State Senator U.S. Representative

Biography

Barbara Lee assumed office as mayor of Oakland, California, on May 20, 2025. She previously served as a U.S. representative from California from 1998 to 2025.

Lee was born July 16, 1946, in El Paso, Texas, and moved to California in 1960. She was educated at Mills College and received her Master of Social Work from University of California, Berkley in 1975. From 1990 to 1996, she served in the California State Assembly and later, in the California State Senate. In 2023, Lee ran for the U.S. Senate seat held by Dianne Feinstein, who passed away during her term, but lost in the primary. 

Lee has co-authored every major piece of legislation dealing with global HIV/AIDS issues. She has worked to strengthen the relations between the United States and its Caribbean neighbors and to promote dialogue through education exchange programs, travel, and fair trade. Lee also worked to end the ineffective embargo against Cuba. In 2005, due to her dedication to international projects, Lee was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize along with women from 150 countries as part of the international project, 1000 Women for Peace.

While in Congress, Lee served as the co-chair for the Out-of-Poverty Caucus and for the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus.

For more information on Lee's policy subject areas, committee appointments and sponsored/co-sponsored legislation during her time in the U.S. House of Representatives, please visit her profile on https://www.congress.gov.

Speeches