Barbara Jean Lee (née Tutt; born July 16, 1946) is an American politician who has served as the 52nd mayor of Oakland since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, Lee previously served as a U.S. representative from California from 1998 to 2025, representing California's 12th congressional district (numbered as the 9th district from 1998 to 2013 and as the 13th district from 2013 to 2023). She also served in both houses of the California State Legislature from 1990 to 1998.
Born and raised in Texas, Lee was educated at Mills College and the University of California, Berkeley. She started her career by working on the presidential campaign of Shirley Chisholm and was later involved with the Black Panther Party. After working as chief of staff for U.S. Representative Ron Dellums, Lee served in the California State Assembly from 1990 to 1996 and in the California State Senate from 1996 to 1998.
Lee was elected to the House of Representatives in a 1998 special election to succeed Dellums. Her district was based in Oakland and covered most of the northern part of Alameda County; with a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of D+40, it was one of the most Democratic districts in the country. A noted progressive, she chaired the Congressional Progressive Caucus from 2005 to 2009 and the Congressional Black Caucus from 2009 to 2011. She was also founding member of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus and co-chaired the House Democratic Steering Committee and the Congressional Cannabis Caucus. She is known for playing a major role in the antiwar movement throughout her time in Congress—most notably in her vocal criticism of the Iraq War and for being the only member of Congress to vote against the authorization of use of force following the September 11 attacks—and for her work with President George W. Bush to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS through the creation of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
In 2024, Lee chose not to pursue re-election in the House and instead ran for Senate to succeed Dianne Feinstein. Lee lost in the jungle primary to Republican Steve Garvey and fellow Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, who won the seat in the general election. After leaving Congress, Lee announced her campaign for mayor of Oakland in the 2025 special election triggered by the recall of Sheng Thao and defeated former city councilmember Loren Taylor. She was sworn in on May 20, 2025, becoming the first Black woman to serve as mayor of Oakland.
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