Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the trailblazing lawmaker and the longest serving female senator in U.S. history, has died at age 90. First elected t the Senate in 1992, following a brief term as Mayor of San Francisco, Feinstein rose to power in Washington after authoring the 1994 assault weapons ban, that naysayers said could not be done, and later became chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
In recent months, preceding her death, Feinstein’s physical and mental decline was the subject of a significant debate inside the Senate Democratic Caucus and across California earlier this year after she missed several months of work following a rough bout with shingles. She returned to the Senate in May 2023 and voted intermittently in committee and on the Senate floor. Her last vote was on Thursday when she voted to keep the government open amid Republicans threats to shut it down.
Based upon her failing health and the possibility that she would not be able to complete her term in office, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom committed to appointing a Black female to replace her, as a nod to the departure of Vice President Kamala Harris, the only Black female Senator who vacated her position to accept the VP nomination, if Feinstein were to step down and in the event that an appointment would be necessary. He is expected to appoint a caretaker for her seat to serve through the 2024 election.
Gov. Newsome is in a bit of a predicament as he is faced with keeping his earlier pledge to appoint an African American female or appointing a caretaker for her seat that will have an advantage in the 2024 election. Several prominent and popular California Democrats are running for the full six-year term including California Democratic Reps. Barbara Lee, Adam Schiff and Katie Porter.
Feinstein’s passing could also impact the ongoing government shutdown negotiations. With government funding running out at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, Senate leaders are counting on every vote to help advance a short-term funding bill later this weekend. It’s unclear how Feinstein’s passing could impact the timing of any legislation to fund the government as her death temporarily reduces Democrats’ majority in the Senate from 51 seats to 50.
Feinstein held several positions in government — she was the first woman to be mayor of San Francisco and the first woman elected to the Senate from California. She was also the first woman to chair the Senate Intelligence and Rules committees, and the first woman to hold the ranking member position in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
