Endorsement is Latest Signal of Support for Lee’s Historic Campaign for Senate from Influential Groups of Young Voters

OAKLAND, CA — The influential national organization “Gen Z for Change” announced its support for Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s campaign for U.S. Senate in a video message released today. The endorsement is the latest indication that those with the most at stake in our future want Congresswoman Barbara Lee to be the next Senator from California. 

“Gen Z for Change is dedicated to empowering our generation and using the power of social media to drive progressive change, and we are very excited to invest in electing a true progressive champion, Congresswoman Barbara Lee,” said Gen Z for Change Communications Manager Anish Mohanty. “The decisions made by our next Senator will have a big impact on a broad range of issues that matter to young people in California, from climate justice and stopping the toxic influence of corporations on our politics, to protecting immigrants and creating a just and safe world for everyone. We trust Barbara Lee to deliver the change we demand and we are very excited to endorse her campaign for Senate.”

Gen Z for Change was founded in 2020 as “TikTok for Biden” and quickly evolved into a national organization run by, and advocating for, young people. In recent years, Gen Z for Change has proven itself incredibly effective, organizing hundreds of thousands of voter contacts in Georgia Senate races, capturing more than 150,000 petition signatures in support of Afghan refugees, and raising more than $2.3 million to support abortion funds, among other accomplishments. 

“Young people deserve a just, healthy, and safe future, and I have always been honored to work closely with young people to create real change,” said Congresswoman Lee. “Gen Z for Change has already demonstrated how influential they can be in helping young people find their civic voices, and I am very proud that we are building a multigenerational campaign to deliver the progressive results—and change—that Californians deserve.” 

Congresswoman Lee has partnered with young people previously on such efforts as House Resolution 262, “Supporting the Teaching of Climate Education in Schools.” The resolution, which was written in part by high school students who have had first-hand experience with the damage being caused by the climate crisis, was co-introduced by Representatives Jahana Hayes and Maxwell Frost, the first Gen Z Member of Congress. 

“We just experienced the first tropical storm warning ever in Southern California – the climate crisis is here and wreaking havoc on people today,” added Congresswoman Lee. “We cannot wait to take action to address the urgent threat of climate change, and I am honored to have effective young progressives working by my side to bring desperately-needed progressive change to the United States Senate.”

Gen Z for Change is the second organization focused on mobilizing young voters to back Congresswoman Lee’s campaign in recent weeks, joining the San Diego County Young Democrats, which endorsed Lee earlier this month. The young voter groups join 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 Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, 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, the 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.