In California’s crowded primary, can a longtime congresswoman sell her progressive ideals to the mainstream? ![Barbara Lee poses for a portrait at the Capitol in Washington on October 26, 2023.]()
Barbara Leehas represented the Bay Area in the House since 1998, but she is likely best known for what she did on a single day. On September 14, 2001, just three days after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Lee was the lone member of Congress to vote against the Authorization for Use of Military Force, which granted President George W. Bush extraordinarily broad powers to conduct what would become known as the War on Terror. She was vilified for it at the time and received death threats. But, in the years since, the act has come to be seen as one of unique courage and foresight. AsEmily Witt reports from California, that vote has taken on renewed significance as Lee has joined a crowded field running for the Senate seat that was held by Dianne Feinstein until her death, in September. “Her run for Senate might serve as an indicator of how progressive Democrats in California really are,” Witt writes, “and how divided over America’s support for Israel’s invasion of Gaza following Hamas’s attack on October 7th.” SupportThe New Yorker’saward-winning journalism.Subscribe today » | 
