Rep. Barbara Lee will be joining the House Democratic leadership team, filling a key void for the caucus after its elections earlier this week left the group without a woman of color in the top ranks.
Lee is expected to fill a new position being created by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to oversee the Steering and Policy Committee, the panel that determines committee assignments for Democrats. Pelosi’s decision expands leadership of the panel from two co-chairs to three.
The decision to elevate Lee comes as a group of House Democrats, disappointed by both Lee’s narrow loss in the race for caucus chair earlier this week and that lack of a woman of color in leadership, was planning to ask Pelosi to do just that…
Lee backers also said her appointment would help with the optics of a caucus that boasts about its diversity — there will be two African-American men, several women, a Latino, an LGBT member and an Asian-American man on next year’s team — yet wasn’t going to have one African-American, Latina or Asian woman in their top ranks.
“The women of this country, anchored by the black women of this country, put Democrats in office,” said Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), a Lee backer. “I feel like our top leadership should reflect the diversity of these people…”
Pelosi’s recommendations cap a whirlwind week for Democrats as current and incoming members met to select the leadership team that will take them into the majority next year. Pelosi overwhelming won the Democratic nomination for speaker on Wednesday and must win 218 votes on the House floor Jan. 3.
Pelosi creates leadership position for Barbara Lee
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Sebastion Cooper 