By LA Times Staff | Los Angeles Times | SEP. 29, 2023 | Photo by Tom Williams
With the death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Gov. Gavin Newsom now must decide who will fill her U.S. Senate seat until the next election.
Who will it be? Here is a breakdown of what we know from the pages of The Times:
What Newsom has said
Newsom said in an interview several weeks ago that he would pick a short-term caretaker, not one of the candidates running for Feinstein’s seat next year. Three Democratic members of Congress are running in the March 2024 primary.
“It would be completely unfair to the Democrats that have worked their tail off,” Newsom said in the interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd.
“That primary is just a matter of months away. I don’t want to tip the balance of that.”
Newsom promised in 2021 to appoint a Black woman if the seat opened.
“We hope we never have to make this decision, but I abide by what I’ve said very publicly on a consistent basis,” Newsom said when Todd asked whether he’d stick to his promise to appoint a Black woman.
The 100-member Senate does not include a single Black woman, a void left when Kamala Harris vacated her California seat and was sworn in as vice president in 2021.
Despite pressure on Newsom to appoint a Black woman to take Harris’ seat, the Democratic governor instead tapped then-Secretary of State Alex Padilla, a longtime political ally who made history as California’s first Latino senator. To stave off criticism, Newsom pledged to appoint a Black woman if another Senate seat became vacant.
Earlier this year, the governor appeared on MSNBC and was asked by host Joy Reid if he’d “restore” Harris’ seat by appointing a Black woman. Newsom leaped at the question.
“We have multiple names in mind,” he said, “and the answer is yes.”
The candidates
Feinstein announced last year she would not run for another term.
The leading candidates to replace her are Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) , Adam B. Schiff of Burbank and Katie Porter of Irvine.
Lee has criticized Newsom, saying he should not limit his choice to a caretaker.
The longtime congresswoman’s candidacy has not taken off so far, with Porter and Schiff outpacing her in fundraising and polling. In a recent UC Berkeley/Los Angeles Times poll, the Oakland congresswoman had 7% of the support, with Porter and Schiff receiving 17% and 20%, respectively.
The same survey found that Newsom’s preference to appoint a short-term caretaker is out of step with public opinion. Asked what Newsom should do if Feinstein steps down, 51% of likely voters said the governor should appoint someone who is prepared to run for a full Senate term in the 2024 election.
What’s next?
Newsom has not said when he will make a decision on a successor to the “political giant.” In a statement Friday on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, he praised Feinstein as “a powerful, trailblazing U.S. Senator; an early voice for gun control; a leader in times of tragedy and chaos.”
“There is simply nobody who possessed the strength, gravitas, and fierceness of Dianne Feinstein,” Newsom said.
