Washington DC – Three days after the attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States House of Representatives met to authorize a military response, with legislation that would serve as the legal basis for the invasion of Afghanistan and the “war against terrorism” more broadly.
The vote was overwhelming: 420 votes to one. The only dissenter was Rep. Barbara Lee, a California Democrat.
On Tuesday, Lee – aged 77 – will likely face the biggest electoral test of her career when California holds a primary for her open Senate seat.
The congresswoman is running in this race because of her credentials as an anti-war candidate. This time, however, she is focused on securing a ceasefire in Gaza – a stance that she says sets her apart from the rest of the field.
Lee is competing against more than 20 other candidates, including prominent Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Katie Porter. The stakes are high: Schiff, Lee and Porter have all chosen not to run for re-election in the House, in order to focus on their prospects in the Senate.
That means this year’s Senate primaries could hand Lee his first electoral defeat in 26 years. But his candidacy highlights the range of Democratic views toward Israel’s war in Gaza — a spectrum that could translate into fractures as the party seeks unity at the ballot box.
To me, doing the right thing is leadership.
The only vote against the war in Afghanistan therefore.
California’s only candidate for the US Senate is calling for a permanent and unconditional ceasefire now.
Please vote for me, Barbara Lee, the peace and security candidate, by tomorrow Tuesday! pic.twitter.com/uFcBCJMdd2
– Barbara Lee (@BarbaraLeeForCA) March 4, 2024
A beacon for progressives
Amar Shergill, chair emeritus of the California Democratic Party’s Progressive Caucus, is among those supporting Lee’s Senate bid.
He told Tel Aviv Tribune that Lee’s stance on Israel’s war in Gaza was one of the reasons he publicly supported his campaign. “Barbara Lee is a voice for ending suffering in the world, whatever the political cost, and she will fight for it,” he said.
In recent months, Lee has reiterated his call for a ceasefire in Gaza dozens of times on his social media accounts, making it a defining part of his campaign.
Americans – and especially Democrats – are increasingly expressing concern about the dire conditions in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians.
A February poll by The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that half of Americans believed Israel had “gone too far” in its military campaign. That figure, however, jumped to 62 percent among Democrats alone.
But many traditional members of the Democratic Party have long resisted calls for a permanent ceasefire, instead affirming their support for the Israeli military offensive. Among them is President Joe Biden, who only recently expressed hope that a ceasefire would end hostilities — but not end them permanently.
Lee’s supporters hope her stance on the issue will lead her to a surprise victory on Tuesday. Public opinion polls show her trailing Democratic rivals Schiff and Porter, as well as Republican candidate and former baseball player Steve Garvey.
Foreign policy is rarely a top priority at the ballot box, but Shergill said voters are increasingly drawing parallels between injustices in Palestine and inequality at home.
“Youth is inspired by its moral clarity. We see immigrant communities who understand that what happens in Palestine could happen to their loved ones in ancestral homes around the world,” Shergill told Tel Aviv Tribune.
The “jungle” primary in California
The Senate race in California – the country’s most populous state – is set to take place on Super Tuesday, a crucial date in the US election calendar. More states hold primaries on this date than any other.
The symbolism behind this Senate race adds to the scrutiny of this high-profile occasion. Lee and the other Senate candidates aim to fill a seat long held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a key Democrat who died in 2023.
Feinstein held the title of the longest-serving female senator in the history of the United States Congress. After her death, California Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Laphonza Butler to serve the remainder of her term.
But Butler declined to run in the 2024 election, leaving the Senate race without an incumbent candidate. An open senatorial seat in California, a Democratic stronghold, is rare. Whoever wins will serve a six-year term in Congress.
Most states hold partisan primaries, in which candidates from different parties compete on separate slates to claim their party’s nomination in the general election.
But California has what’s known as a “jungle primary”: candidates, regardless of political party, face each other on the first ballot, and the top two vote-getters face each other in the general election.
So a Democrat like Lee not only has to compete with members of her own party, but also with Republicans and independents.
The candidates
Garvey, the Republican baseball star, ran a dark horse campaign that stunned political observers. Several polls show him tied with – or surpassing – Porter for second place.
But even if Garvey makes it to the general election, Democrats are widely expected to hold on to their Senate seats in November.
Schiff, an ally of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is currently leading the race. Considered a favorite of the party establishment, Schiff developed a national profile after leading an impeachment inquiry against then-President Donald Trump in 2019.
Porter, meanwhile, is a left-leaning lawmaker who rose to prominence through her advocacy for consumers and criticism of big business.
On domestic issues, Lee, Schiff and Porter share similar views, but with different approaches. Even Schiff — who is considered the centrist in the race — supports progressive priorities such as universal health care and the Green New Deal climate plan.
But the war on Gaza constitutes a crucial point of divergence. Schiff, the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, is a staunch defender of Israel. Last month, he voted with the Republican majority in favor of a $17.6 billion Israel aid bill. Most Democrats opposed the measure, which ultimately failed because it did not include aid to Ukraine.
Porter, who has served in Congress since 2019, is not known for her foreign policy positions but is also a strong supporter of Israel. In December, she called for a ceasefire with one caveat: that Hamas be removed “from operational control of Gaza.”
In the same statement, Porter falsely blamed Hamas, not the Israeli blockade, for “shortages of food, clean water, fuel and medicine” over the years in Gaza.
“I think we need a lasting ceasefire,” she recently told the Los Angeles Times. “This is a conflict between Israel and Hamas, and the job of the United States is to bring Israel and Hamas to dialogue and find out what the preconditions are, such as the release of the hostages and the various leaders in Gaza. »
On the other hand, Lee has always called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
“The only way to achieve peace, security and justice for Israelis and Palestinians is through a political and diplomatic solution,” Lee said in November 2023.
The congresswoman has also been endorsed by prominent progressives who support Palestinian rights, including Congresswomen Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Mark Pocan.
Still, she has struggled to keep up with the fundraising of Schiff and Porter, who have greater institutional support. Records filed with the Federal Election Commission show that Schiff, for example, had nearly $34.9 million in “cash on hand” for his campaign in January.
Lee’s chances
So does Lee have a chance in the Super Tuesday race?
Yassar Dahbour, president of the Palestinian American League, says he is “hopeful” but realistic about his chances.
“She stood out and she resonates with voters, but there are other factors at play,” Dahbour told Tel Aviv Tribune. “And unfortunately, in American politics, money has a huge effect on the outcome and outcome of elections. »
Dahbour praised Lee’s advocacy for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, calling her a voice for justice, but said it remains to be seen how much her position will influence voters beyond the progressive base.
For his part, Shergill dismissed polls that show Lee trailing the other three major candidates, saying early signs point to low turnout on Tuesday.
“In a low-turnout election, the kind of energetic people who want to see Barbara Lee elected could make a difference,” he said.
