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Rep. Barbara Lee is considering a bid for a Democratic leadership position in the House of Representatives in the wake of the stunning primary election loss of a high-ranking Democrat this week.
The Oakland congresswoman, one of the most liberal members of the House, said in an interview Thursday that she was talking to colleagues about running for House Democratic Conference chair, a position currently held by New York Rep. Joe Crowley. The opportunity opened up after Crowley — the fourth highest-ranked Democrat in the House — lost in an upset to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old Democratic Socialist candidate from the Bronx.
The surprise result “signals that our base voters are very engaged and they want to see change,” Lee said. “People around the country, everywhere I go, are helping us elect more Democrats, progressives, women, people of color.”
Her possible bid for the position comes amid a wider reckoning for House Democrats over Crowley’s loss — and questions about whether Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, will be able to hold onto her job after the November midterms.
Crowley was seen as one of the likeliest candidates to succeed Pelosi as minority leader or Speaker of the House, potentially as soon as at the end of this year if she failed to muster enough support. On one hand, his loss removes a potential candidate to replace her. But Ocasio-Cortez’s win — on a platform that included abolishing ICE and for Medicare-for-all — also heightens concerns about whether Pelosi and other leaders should make way for younger, liberal rising stars.
Pelosi, who has vowed to stay on as leader, downplayed the election results. “They made a choice in one district,” she told reporters Wednesday. “Let’s not get yourself carried away.”
It’s not clear whether Crowley will step down from his leadership position before his term ends in December. That decision is “up to him,” said Lee, who if chosen would be the first black woman in a House leadership position of either party.
Lee’s potential bid, which was first reported by the Washington Post, wouldn’t be her first crack at the leadership. In 2016, Lee lost a race for the conference vice chair, the number five Democratic spot, falling short by two votes to Rep. Linda Sánchez, D-Whittier.
The two Californians could find themselves facing off again for the number four position this year. “I think I would be a good caucus chair,” Sánchez told reporters Wednesday. “Having said that, I’m not making any announcements.”
Sánchez made waves in October when she said publicly that Pelosi and House leaders need to “pass the torch” to a new generation. Lee has been a stronger supporter of her colleague from across the Bay, saying Thursday that Pelosi, Crowley and other top Democrats have been “leading in a very bold way.”
Lee said she learned from her leadership loss in 2016 that it was important to “start early and that people need to know you’re interested.” She said her record of working with moderate Democrats and Republicans would appeal to House members outside the party’s liberal wing.
Lee, who’s represented Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville and Alameda since 1998, has a record as a strong anti-war voice. She was the only member of Congress to vote against the post-9/11 authorization for use of military force, which has enabled America’s sprawling war on terror over the past 17 years.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Fremont, said Lee would make an “excellent choice” for leadership after Crowley’s loss. Khanna, who had endorsed both Crowley and Ocasio-Cortez, argued that the young candidate’s victory underlined the need for the Democratic party to double-down on progressive values.
“She gives progressives around the nation hope,” Khanna said.