Barbara Lee (born July 16 1946), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1998, representing the 9th District of California. She was born in El Paso, Texas, was educated at Mills College and the University of California, Berkeley, and was a staff member for United States Representative Ron Dellums and a member of the California Assembly and the California Senate before entering the House. She is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. In 2001, Congresswoman Lee made national headlines, by casting the only "no" vote to the US invasion of Afghanistan.
