Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said Sunday that he will not run for outgoing Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat, and will instead endorse Rep. Barbara Lee.
“I have come to the conclusion that, despite the great enthusiasm of [Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.] Friends, the best place, the most exciting place, the place of action, the right place for me to serve as a progressive is in the House of Representatives,» Khanna said in an interview on CNN’s «State of the Union.»
The progressive lawmaker said he will co-chair Lee’s campaign, adding: «We need a strong anti-war senator, and she will play that role.»
After three decades in the Senate, Feinstein, 89, said earlier this year that he would retire from Congress at the end of 2024.
California Democratic Reps. Katie Porter and Adam Schiff announced in January that they would run, joining what is expected to be a crowded Democratic primary race for Feinstein’s seat. That same month, Khanna told him political who was also considering a run for the Senate.
Lee, who officially announced his Senate campaign last month, has served in the House since 1998 and previously served in the California State Senate and Assembly. She is currently the Co-Chair of the Policy and Steering Committee.
Lee also previously served as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and co-chaired the Congressional Progressive Caucus. He has a long history of speaking out about the need for Congress to review the authorization for the use of military force that lawmakers passed after 9/11 and that presidents have used as a legal basis for launching military operations ever since.
Khanna agreed that Lee would have a «unique voice» in being «the only vote against the endless war in Afghanistan.»
“She was so strongly opposed to the war in Iraq,” Khanna said. “She worked with me to try to stop the war in Yemen, the War Powers Resolution. And frankly, Jake, representation matters.»
Khanna also pointed out that there is not “a single African-American woman” in the Senate: “She would fill that role. She will be the only candidate from Northern California, and I think she will consolidate a lot of progressives. «
fiona glison and rebecca shabad contributed.