Lateefah Simon, Jennifer Tran vie to succeed Rep. Barbara Lee in California's 12th Congressional District
A pair of relative political newcomers are competing to succeed longtime Bay Area Rep. Barbara Lee in California's 12th Congressional District in an area that has been represented by the Democrat for more than a quarter century.
Lateefah Simon and Jennifer Tran are both vying to represent the East Bay district that includes Oakland and its bordering cities.
Lee has represented the East Bay since 1998. She was forced to vacate her seat after she ran an unsuccessful campaign to succeed Dianne Feinstein in the Senate after her death last fall at 90. Lee did not advance to the general election in March's California primary and had already announced she was not running for reelection, opening the door for the two new candidates.
Simon is the current District 7 director on the Bay Area Rapid Transit board, on which she has served since 2016. She has described herself as a 25-year veteran organizer and as an advocate for civil rights and social justice. Simon has known Vice President Kamala Harris for years, having worked with her during her tenure as San Francisco's district attorney. Simon has called Harris her mentor and spoke on her behalf at the Democratic National Convention.
Tran is an assistant professor of Ethnic Studies at Cal State East Bay in Hayward. She's also the president of the Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce.
Simon is looked at as the Democratic Party establishment's first choice, with Lee lending her support to the campaign.
Tran is running as an anti-establishment candidate in the race, saying the reason she decided to run for the seat is because she's been unhappy with how current leaders are governing and aims to represent other unsatisfied voters.