LOS ANGELES, CA — Prior to joining tonight’s debate between the top candidates running for U.S. Senate in California, hosted by NBC4/Telemundo, Barbara Lee joined NBC4 host Conan Nolan to explain why she is the candidate that will represent California’s values in the Senate, citing her unmatched progressive record and the unique intersectional lens she brings to her career of advocacy and policymaking.

NBC NewsConference, Congresswoman Barbara Lee:

Let me tell you what you get with Barbara Lee in the United States Senate. First of all, you get somebody who’s experienced and who’s been able to deliver for California and for my district.

You get somebody who understands the world in which we live and can hit the ground running, who has a deep and broad experience in domestic and foreign policy, which is needed. You don’t need anyone in the Senate from California on-the-job training.

The perspective, the lens, the representation, the experience of a Black woman from California is badly needed, because…Black women fight for our communities, for marginalized and vulnerable people, lifting people out of poverty, for children, for criminal justice reform. We fight for everybody, to lift everybody up.

We need somebody in the Senate like Barbara Lee, who’s had this experience, who can fight for Californians, for everyone, and who’s had many of the lived experiences of Californians… Experience matters. Representation matters.

The NBC4/Telemundo debate will air tonight, Tuesday, February 20, at 6 pm PT on NBC4 and Telemundo 52., the NBCLA and Telemundo 52 apps, and NBCLA and Telemundo 52 on Facebook/YouTube. Join the discussion with the hashtag #Decision2024.