(USNewsMag.com) – It appears the political career of Democratic California Sen. Dianne Feinstein is finally winding down. The Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, announced that he will appoint a caretaker for Feinstein’s Senate seat in the event that she steps down before the end of her term.
Newsom appeared on NBC on Monday and said that he plans on choosing a temporary caretaker for Feinstein’s seat in the Senate rather than appointing Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee to replace her. Newsom said he has no interest in getting “involved” in the primary election by backing a prospective replacement.
Multiple Democratic lawmakers are aiming for the seat, including Reps. Adam Schiff and Katie Porter. Newsome said it wouldn’t be fair to them and other Democrats who’ve worked hard if he favored a replacement. With the primary just “a matter of months away,” Newsom maintained that he wants to avoid tipping “the balance” of the election.
In the past, Newsom said he wanted a black woman to be appointed and added that he would “abide” by what he’s said publicly and consistently, but that he hopes he never has “to make this decision.” Lee, who is a black woman, is trailing her opponents in public and private polls, and many Democrats are pushing Newsom to appoint her for the position to serve out the rest of Feinstein’s final term.
Feinstein was briefly hospitalized in August after she fell in her home, which was the latest of a series of health issues facing the aging lawmaker who’s been serving as a representative for California since winning the seat in a 1992 special election. Prior to her fall in August, Feinstein was hospitalized in February after a case of shingles and was absent from the Senate for an extended period. After returning in May, it was confirmed that the congresswoman faced various complications while recovering.
Feinstein announced in February that her current term would be her last and that she would not seek to be reelected in 2024.
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