She served as co-chair of Gov. Gavin Newsom's task force on police reform in 2020. U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla endorsed Simon. So did Lee, her longtime mentor. In August, Simon drew attention on the national stage when she spoke about her friendship with Vice President Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention.
Lee, who was in Washington, D.C., Tuesday night sent a video of encouragement to Simon.
"I am so honored to pass the baton to you," she said. "Let us continue to stand up for the values of the 12th Congressional District and continue building a broad coalition, working together for a better world. Congratulations again, my sister."
Spirits were high at Simon's election watch party at the Oakland Museum of California. She took the stage at 9:30 p.m. and thanked the crowded room.
"When you send me to Washington D.C., understand that every single voice in this room and beyond -- in the seven cities that we will represent -- will be front and center," she said.
Tran, a political newcomer and CSU East Bay ethnic studies professor, said the Democratic Party didn't give her fair consideration. She aligned herself with the East Bay's political moderates and wrongly accused Simon of supporting the movement to defund the police.
In campaign ads, Tran, who is president of Oakland's Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce, railed against what she called "the corporate mega party" and criticized Simon for not agreeing to debate with her.
Simon fundraised over $2 million, while Tran's war chest never broke $300,000.
At a campaign event on Saturday, Lee and Simon cast their ballots together at Mills College, their shared alma mater.
"Let me just say the very first time I voted was in 1972 for Shirley Chisholm for president. And today I get to vote for Kamala Harris for president and Lateefah Simon for Congress. How good can it get?" Lee said, smiling in a black shirt that read "Trust Black Women" and featured photos of Harris, Simon, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, among others.
Simon, like Lee, is a single mom and has long championed women. At 19, Simon became the executive director of the San Francisco-based Young Women's Freedom Center, a nonprofit focused on ending the incarceration of young women.