Former Rep. Barbara Lee was still trailing a moderate challenger on election night when a progressive ally stepped to the mic and highlighted the larger stakes in the mayoral contest. “These big-money people,

I accept your choice with a deep sense of responsibility, humility and love,' Lee said in her victory statement.

Progressive icon and former U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee is the new mayor of troubled Oakland, California, a city she represented for more than two decades in Congress.