California Gov. Gavin Newsom defends state Sen. Dianne Feinstein and pushes back against calls to replace the Democrat despite calls from colleagues.
The situation comes after three high-profile Democrats have urged colleagues to consider retiring Sen. Feinstein amid her deteriorating health conditions. In an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," Newsom said that he was not planning to appoint any candidates to the seat should it become vacant.
Gavin Newsom Defends Dianne Feinstein
Newsom's stance on the matter could be a potential obstacle to Rep. Barbara Lee as her allies had reason to believe she was the state governor's first choice to fill a potential seat vacancy.
However, that was before she entered the Senate race, where she is now seen trailing in polls behind better-known and better-funded fellow Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Katie Porter. In the interview, Newsom added that he was instead planning on making an "interim appointment" to replace the elderly senator if needed, as per NBC News.
He noted that he did not want to get involved in the primary, which led him to decide on an interim appointment. Newsom added that it would have been completely unfair to the Democratic lawmakers who have worked their tails off, noting that the primary was only a few months away.
The three Democrats, Lee, Porter, and Schiff, are engaged in a high-profile legal battle ahead of the Mar. 5 all-party primary. That would be when the top two vote-getters of any party go to advance to the November general election. The two could end up being Democrats with how California's partisan tilt leans toward.
On Thursday, a poll released by the Institute of Government Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, found that Porter and Schiff were running neck and neck at 17% and 20%, respectively, as Lee was trailing behind at 7%. A third of the voters involved in the polls were still undecided when asked.
Replacing the Elderly Senator
The California governor added that his office is working closely with Feinstein's Senate staff and was in touch with the senator directly. The situation comes as the elderly senator's term is set to expire and her announcement that she would not be running for re-election, according to The Hill.
Some progressive lawmakers have called on the California senator to step down because of the deteriorating health conditions. Feinstein's name has also been singled out in discussions where lawmakers have called on imposing age limits or giving mental competency tests to some older politicians.
Newsom said that the state senator is like a family member and that he has "no objectivity whatsoever" regarding Feinstein finishing her term in Congress. He added that he was leaving it up to the elderly senator to leave office early if that was what she wanted.
Additionally, the state governor reiterated his previous commitment to appointing a Black woman to fill Feinstein's seat if he was required to make the decision, said Axios.
