By Alexei Koseff. CalMatters.
With the death of the senator Dianne Feinstein of California, announced Friday that there are no plans yet, confusing politics both in his home state and in Washington, D.C.
With more than a year left in Feinstein's term, Gov. Gavin Newsom She must now name a replacement, a possibility she dismissed just weeks ago as hypothetical, and a tense prospect as a race to succeed Feinstein has already been underway for months.
A spokesman for the governor said Friday morning that his office did not yet have information about Newsom’s plans or a timeline for his selection. In a statement, he praised Feinstein, a fellow Democrat, as “a leader in a time of tragedy and chaos.”
“She was a political giant, whose tenacity was matched by her grace,” Newsom said. “She broke down barriers and glass ceilings, but she never lost her faith in the spirit of political cooperation.”
This will be Newsom’s second appointment to the U.S. Senate. In December 2020, he tapped longtime ally Alex Padilla to be California’s first Latino senator after then-Senator Kamala Harris was elected vice president. Padilla won a full six-year term last year.
The decision angered some activists, who said Newsom's selection had left the Senate once again without an African-American woman. Months later, he pledged on MSNBC to appoint an African-American woman to Feinstein's seat if he did not finish her term.
That promise came back to haunt Newsom this year when Feinstein’s health problems came to public light, including a bout of shingles that forced her to step away from the Senate for several months in the spring. Rampant speculation about an appointment has followed Newsom, especially in interviews with national media outlets.
Earlier this month, the governor told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he would select an interim senator if necessary because he did not “want to get involved in the primaries,” even though he remained committed to selecting an African American woman.
Her response infuriated Rep. Barbara Lee, an Oakland Democrat running for Feinstein’s seat who is trailing Reps. Adam Schiff, a Burbank Democrat, and Katie Porter, an Irvine Democrat, in public polling ahead of the March primary. Her allies have positioned Lee as a natural choice for an open seat because the longtime congresswoman is one of California’s most prominent African-American politicians.
Lee sharply criticized Newsom, calling his stopgap plan “insulting to countless Black women.” A spokesperson for the governor responded that he was talking about “a hypothetical on top of a hypothetical.” As a result, two of Newsom’s longtime political advisers left a super PAC working to elect Lee.
That hypothesis is now real.
Lee praised Feinstein in an online statement as “a champion for our state” and “the voice of a political revolution for women,” but did not address the issue of her replacement. Other Black women who might be considered for the position have also remained resolutely silent so far.
After elevating Padilla to the Senate, Newsom nominated Shirley Weber to succeed him as California secretary of state, making her the highest-ranking African American woman in state politics. His spokesman declined to comment on whether he would consider the interim appointment if asked, calling it “speculative.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who runs California’s largest city, said on CNN this summer that Newsom should fill a vacancy with Lee. Her office did not immediately respond to a message.
London Breed, the mayor of Feinstein’s hometown of San Francisco, who initially called Padilla’s appointment “a real blow to the African-American community,” also supports Lee. At a news conference following Feinstein’s death, Breed said the immediate focus should be on the senator’s legacy and that conversation about her replacement “could be saved for another day.”
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, is another longtime member of Congress. Her office did not immediately respond to a message.
Feinstein's death brings intense pressure not only on Newsom but also on Senate Democrats, who hold a slim majority in the chamber.
Feinstein held a seat on the judiciary committee, which approves judicial nominations. Many Democrats, including Newsom himself, now fear that Republicans will block a replacement, stalling the committee and preventing President Biden from appointing more judges in his first term. Politico reports that Senate Republicans have signaled they will allow the vacancy to be filled.
Bipartisan tributes poured in from California and Washington for Feinstein, a more moderate Democrat who nonetheless championed gun control and a CIA torture investigation during her tenure in the Senate. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, lowered Capitol flags at half-staff in her honor.
“Dianne left her mark on everything from national security to the environment to protecting civil liberties,” Biden said in a statement. “She has made history in so many ways, and our country will benefit from her legacy for generations to come.”
You may be interested in: It's time! Register to participate in the 2024 elections
