Senate filing by Super PAC supporting Rep. Barbara Lee on the same day, Feinstein decides to hang the case

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Rep. Barbara Lee’s entry into what could be a crowded field for a coveted US Senate seat took a big step forward Tuesday.

The paperwork to form the Super PAC in support of the East Bay congressman was filed on the same day that Senator Dianne Feinstein announced she would not seek re-election at the end of her term next year. Lee has represented Oakland in the House of Representatives since 1998.

Dan Newman, a political consultant who works with the group, confirmed in an email that a GAC ​​called “SHE SPEAKS FOR ME” will support Lee’s bid for Feinstein’s Senate seat. Patricia Mar, a political consultant from San Francisco, was named as the new committee’s treasurer.

Rumors about Lee’s participation in the race have been circulating since last year, although she has not officially announced her intention to run. Feinstein’s field of success already includes fellow Democratic House representatives Adam Schiff and Kathy Porter.

Feinstein’s statement on Tuesday was expected. Her re-election fund has raised less than $600, while Schiff, who represents Burbank and cultivated national profile during the impeachment hearings of former President Donald Trump, has amassed a campaign fund of more than $20 million. He recently enlisted the support of former House Speaker and San Francisco Rep. Nancy Pelosi.

Porter, who represents Orange County, has raised over a million in donations since submitting her application. Her whiteboard presentations during interrogation of corporate executives have made her a social media star, and she positions herself to the left of Schiff as progressive with the endorsement of Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Lee, a black woman with a long history as a progressive MP, will be the only person of color in the race if and when she formally announces her intention to run for the Senate. She made a splash back in 2001 when she was the only member of Congress to vote against the invasion of Iraq after the 9/11 attacks.

Requests for comment to Lee’s campaign consultant, Cathy Merrill, were not immediately returned.

This is an evolving story and will be updated.

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