Local Leader’s Announcement Follows Congresswoman’s Visit During Central Valley Tour

DELANO, CA — Congresswoman and U.S. Senate candidate Barbara Lee today announced the endorsement of Delano Mayor Pro-Tem Salvador Solorio-Ruiz.

Just age 24 when first elected in 2020, Solorio-Ruiz became one of the youngest members elected to the Delano City Council and to serve as the city’s Vice Mayor. The son of immigrants and a first-generation American, Solorio-Ruiz has focused on legislation to improve infrastructure and public safety and provide more opportunities to Delano citizens. Prior to his time on the Council, he served as a community engagement coordinator with California Health Collaborative.  

“We need to bring real change to California and the country, and Congresswoman Barbara Lee is the right leader to do that,” Solorio-Ruiz said. “She’s a proven changemaker and barrier-breaker who has a record of standing up for the Central Valley. Results matter and, from delivering millions for our farmers to fighting poverty and for better access to healthcare, she has gotten it done. And, as a champion for justice and equity her entire life, I know she will continue to fight to protect the rights of our most vulnerable and deliver on the issues important to the next generation. I am excited and proud to endorse her.”

“I’m honored to have the endorsement of Mayor Pro-Tem Salvador Solorio-Ruiz,” said Lee. “He is an inspirational young leader and an example of how important it is for young people to get involved and make change in their own communities. I am running for U.S. Senate because all Californians, from our youngest voters to our rural communities, deserve a leader in the U.S. Senate who is on their side and fighting for what’s important to them. That’s who I am and that’s what I’ve done. I have the progressive record and experience to bring home results on Day One and give everyone a seat at the table, just like I’ve been doing in the U.S. House and my entire life.”  

Solorio-Ruiz joins a growing list of high-profile current and former elected officials from around the state who have endorsed Lee’s campaign for Senate, including five of the eight statewide constitutional officers – Attorney General Rob Bonta, Treasurer Fiona Ma, Controller Malia Cohen, Secretary of State Shirley Weber, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.

Other national and California endorsers of Lee’s campaign include Congressmembers 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 Isaac Bryan, Mia Bonta and Corey Jackson, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, 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. A full list of endorsements is available at barbaraleeforCA.com.

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.