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Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Barbara Lee looks to seize her moment

The longtime liberal lawmaker is making a bid for House Democratic leadership amid rising enthusiasm on the left.

Rep. Barbara Lee has long been on the political periphery, but the party may now be coming around to her.

After finishing two votes shy of breaking into House Democratic leadership in 2016, the left-leaning California Democrat is counting on a stronger start — and a liberal base clamoring for hard-edged resistance to President Donald Trump — in her bid to win election as Democratic Caucus chair.

In an interview with POLITICO, Lee touted the “new wave” of progressive energy and noted that Democrats have never had an African-American woman in leadership.

“I want to be a voice at the table that really hasn’t been at the table,” she said.

Whether Lee gets the chance may depend on her ability to win over younger House Democrats calling for generational change in leadership.

The 72-year old Lee has been in Congress for 20 years and praises the caucus’ longtime leaders, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. That’s in stark contrast to her opponent in the race: Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.), who is demanding turnover at the top and who defeated Lee two years ago for the post of Democratic Caucus vice chair.

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Anyone who praises Nancy Pelosi needs medication.

Anonymous said...

The cream of the crop of The Party of Liberal Jim!