Sen. Dianne Feinstein hasn’t indicated whether she plans to run for re-election in 2024, but the competition to succeed the senior congresswoman is heating up. Reps. Ro Khanna and Katie Porter are receiving requests to run, and Rep. Adam Schiff has made it known he is considering it.
Schiff: ‘I’m Giving Serious Consideration’ to Running for U.S. Senate (breitbart.com)
Rep. Barbara Lee is deliberating her course of action during the holidays. In the early stages of a fierce contest between California Democrats for a seat that has not been open in a generation, three candidates have contacted former senator Barbara Boxer to ask her advice. Last month, Schiff launched the first salvo by candidly acknowledging his long-standing interest in the position.
He told a Los Angeles television station that if Senator Feinstein decides not to run for reelection and his House leadership bid fails, he will “consider running for the Senate.” According to two people who knew the conversation, Schiff also met with Feinstein to explain his plans.
Feinstein’s plans are still up in the air. The 89-year-old senator’s popularity has declined as California Democrats have grown weary of her centrist views, and the San Francisco Chronicle exposed her alleged cognitive decline in a shocking article this spring. However, despite the widespread belief that the California senator will not run for reelection in 2024, she has not made any explicit statements regarding her plans.
A Feinstein spokesperson contacted for comment on the story stated that he had “no updates,” and those who know her claim that she becomes defensive when cornered. To respect Feinstein, who has served in the Senate for the most prolonged period of time in history, Californians who are interested in her seat have generally avoided overt positioning.
The détente, however, is not likely to last for very long. Progressives who support Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose presidential campaign Khannaco-chaired, are also urging Khanna to run. According to a source familiar with Lee’s intentions, she intends to spend the holidays discussing her plans with her family.
All of those potential contestants would contribute to the race. A U.S. Senate race in California would likely result in a match-up between two Democrats in the general election, as it did when Kamala Harris defeated then-Rep. Loretta Sanchez in 2016.
Porter and Schiff are both skilled fund-raisers, but Schiff rose to prominence on the national stage as a fierce opponent of the late President Donald Trump and for his involvement in the impeachment process. For her scathing and whiteboard-assisted grilling of executives, Porter quickly rose to fame.
If Feinstein steps down, Lee has long been considered one of the top candidates to be appointed. Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, interviewed Lee when he was looking for a replacement for Black and Asian American former senator Kamala Harris.
