Lateefah Simon attends the red carpet for the sneak preview screening of "Barbara Lee: Speaking Truth To Power" at Grand Lake Theatre on August 2, 2021, in Oakland, California. (Photo by Steve Jennings/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Simon is a freshman congresswoman representing California who has shared a long friendship with former 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. She spoke to NPR ahead of the November election last year, detailing that she and Harris first met back in the early 2000s when Harris worked in the San Francisco City Attorney’s office.
"I really believed in her. The young women that I worked with believed in her. But never in a million years did I think that I would work for her," Simon told NPR back in August.
'I LOVE YOU': LONGTIME HARRIS ALLY HAS BEEN FRIENDS WITH CCP GROUP'S TOP EXEC FOR OVER A DECADE
She recounted that Harris had encouraged her to earn a college degree, asked her to join her team when she was San Francisco district attorney, given her career advice, and even officiated at her wedding ceremony.
Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, right, with BART board member Lateefah Simon on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Simon won her election to serve as California's 12th congressional district representative in November, taking the reins from former Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee, and has since been identified as a "rising star" in the Democratic Party by liberal media outlets.
Harris officiated Simon's congressional swearing-in ceremony in January, when Simon lauded her "mentor" as a pivotal influence in her career.
"I am so honored to have my mentor and former boss, Vice President Kamala Harris," Simon said on January 7. "Since our time together in the district attorney’s office in San Francisco, the vice president has played an integral role in shaping my public service career, and I have learned so much from her.
"She has also paved the way for women across the nation like me who aspire to serve their country at the highest levels. It was a special moment to stand with her today, look her in the eye and begin my journey as the Congresswoman for California’s 12th District."
Former Vice President Kamala Harris accepts the Chairman's Award onstage during the 56th NAACP Image Awards at Pasadena Civic Auditorium on February 22, 2025, in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET) (Getty Images)
Trump is set to address Congress at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, his first joint address since returning to the Oval Office in January. The speech – which is not officially called a "State of the Union" speech as Trump has not been in office for the last year – comes just days after a fiery meeting between Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
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The Democratic Party will also issue a response speech to Trump, tapping Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin to speak to voters late Tuesday evening after Trump's speech wraps up.
Fox News Digital's Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
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