Pressley joins the growing list of high-profile progressive leaders who have thrown their support behind Lee’s historic campaign

OAKLAND, CA — Today, Congresswoman and U.S. Senate candidate Barbara Lee announced the endorsement of Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA).

Pressley, who made history as the first Black woman elected to represent Massachusetts in the U.S. House, has been one of the strongest voices for justice in the chamber. Since taking office in 2019, she has spearheaded key progressive legislation, including bills to ensure fair compensation for low-wage workers and support survivors of sexual assault and harassment, and co-founded the Future of Transportation Caucus to increase equity in our transit system. Prior to entering Congress, Pressley served as an at-large member of the Boston City Council where she was the first Black woman elected to the Council in its over 100-year history.

Pressley’s support of Lee’s Senate bid follows endorsements by voting rights activist Stacy Abrams and progressive leaders Congressman Ro Khanna and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal.

“For decades, Barbara Lee has been an effective leader and lawmaker. She has pressed for peace and diplomacy, reproductive justice, food security, and more. She has taken on this work with moral courage, principled integrity, and effectiveness. The adverse impacts of short-sighted policies and broken systems on the daily lives of people are not abstract for Barbara Lee – she has lived these realities,” said Pressley. “Barbara is an icon and trailblazer. I’ve been fortunate to call her a friend, mentor, and partner for well over a decade, long before I had the honor of serving alongside her in Congress. Barbara Lee is qualified to lead, and her voice is needed during these consequential times. The people of California and the nation will benefit from the vision, conviction, and commitment of a Senator Barbara Lee. I am proud to endorse this progressive champion for the United States Senate.”

“Congresswoman Pressley has been a consistent advocate for progress in the U.S. House and I am so honored to have earned her trust,” said Lee. “She has been a leader on women’s equality and  reproductive justice as chair of the Abortion Access Task Force of the Pro-Choice Caucus and as a founder of the Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment. In the U.S. Senate, I’ll never back down from standing up for justice and fighting for progressive policies that allow all Americans to thrive—just like I’ve done in the House. I look forward to working with Congresswoman Pressley and the progressive members of Congress in building a future for our country where everyone has a seat at the table.”

In recent weeks, Lee has also unveiled the support of Congressmembers Jim Clyburn (SC), Jamaal Bowman (NY), Steven Horsford (NV), Bennie Thompson (MI), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ), Lucy McBath (GA), Terri Sewell (AL), Troy Carter (LA), and Gregory Meeks (NY) and Cedric Richmond, former Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Lee’s campaign for U.S. Senate continues to build a long and growing list of supporters, including Attorney General Rob Bonta, Treasurer Fiona Ma, Controller Malia Cohen, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, Congressman Ro Khanna, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, State Senators Anna Caballero and Nancy Skinner, Assemblymembers Mia Bonta and Corey Jackson, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran, Redlands Mayor Eddie Tejeda, Rialto Mayor Deborah Robertson, former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Palm Desert Mayor Pro Tem Karina Quintanilla, Dolores Huerta, California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus Chair Deepa Sharma, California Democratic Party Progressive Caucus Chair Amar Shergill, and California Democratic Party LGBTQ Caucus Co-Chair Tiffany Woods.

Lee also has the backing of the Alameda County Building and Construction Trades Council, California Legislative Black Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, Feminist Majority PAC, and Black Women Organized for Political Action PAC.

There are currently no Black women serving in the U.S. Senate. In the nearly 240 years since the Senate first met, only two African American women have been in the Senate, serving a total of 10 years.