Three San Jose City Councilmembers announce their support of Lee’s bid for U.S. Senate

OAKLAND, CA — Today, Congresswoman and U.S. Senate candidate Barbara Lee announced the endorsement of San Jose City Councilmembers Omar Torres (District 3), Peter Ortiz (District 5), and Domingo Candelas (District 8).
 
Torres, who represents Downtown San Jose, and Ortiz, who represents the areas of Alum Rock, Mount Pleasant, and East San Jose, were both elected to the Council in 2022. Candelas was appointed in 2023 to represent Evergreen and Southeast San Jose.
 
“Congresswoman Lee’s record speaks for itself. She’s spent her entire life helping people who need it most. From her work to make housing more affordable to helping lift more people out of poverty to expanding critical safety net programs, she has our back. She’s the right leader to fight for us in the U.S. Senate. I am proud to endorse her,” said Torres.

“I’m excited to endorse Congresswoman Lee for U.S. Senate. She is a barrier-breaker and change-maker who has fought for justice and equity for everyone in everything that she’s done. I know that she’ll bring those values to the U.S. Senate, fight for the change we want to see, and build a better future for the next generation,” said Candelas.
 
“For Congresswoman Lee, it’s about getting results for the people who need it most. She has always and consistently put the people and the issues we face first — like fighting food insecurity, ending discrimination, and advocating for justice for all. As the sole vote against unlimited war power for the president and as a leading voice in the fight to make ending HIV and poverty a priority, she has led in Congress with integrity and moral courage. She is the principled and accomplished leader we need in the U.S. Senate,” said Ortiz.
 
“I’m honored to be endorsed by these influential leaders who are paving the way for San Jose’s next generation,” said Lee. “I’ve fought for justice and equality my entire career, and I’m not stopping now. I am running for U.S. Senate to deliver the real, progressive change that our country needs. From Day One, I’ll fight to pass Medicare for All and a Green New Deal, make housing a basic human right, and work to end the filibuster so we can finally move our country forward.”
 
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, Secretary of State Shirley Weber, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, Congressmembers Mark Pocan, Pramila Jayapal, Ilhan Omar, Ro Khanna, Jamaal Bowman, Sheila Jackson Lee, Steven Horsford, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Troy Carter, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Nikema Williams, Jim Clyburn, Bennie Thompson, Lucy McBath, Terri Sewell, and Gregory Meeks, former Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Cedric Richmond, former Georgia General Assembly House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, State Senators Susan Talamantes Eggman, 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 Emeritus Amar Shergill, California Democratic Party LGBTQ Caucus Co-Chair Emeritus 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, Black Women Organized for Political Action PAC, and Higher Heights for America.

There are currently no Black women serving in the U.S. Senate. Since 1789, when the first Congress met, only two African American women have been in the Senate, serving a total of 10 years.