Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, endorses Barbara Lee’s Senate bid and announces he will not run.

Ro Khanna, a member of the California Democratic Party and House of Representatives, announced his endorsement of fellow House of Representatives member Barbara Lee’s campaign to replace retiring California Democratic Party senator Dianne Feinstein in the US Senate. Khanna, an Indian-American and close ally of Vermont’s independent senator Bernie Sanders, praised Lee for being a “strong anti-war senator” and a “unique voice.” He also pointed out that Lee would be filling the role of being an African American woman in the current United States Senate, as there is currently no African American woman serving in the Senate. Lee has represented California’s 13th district in the House of Representatives since 1998 and is famous for being the only member of Congress to vote against authorization of military action after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Two other House of Representatives members, Adam Schiff and Katie Porter, are also running for Feinstein’s Senate seat. Khanna had previously considered a presidential run in 2028 and did not rule out running for Senate when reports surfaced in January.