All Eyes on Gov. Newsom Over Appointment of Sen. Feinstein’s Successor

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks onstage during the Clinton Global Initiative September 2023 Meeting at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City on Sept. 18, 2023. (Noam Galai/Getty Images for Clinton Global Initiative)

The death of longtime Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Sept. 29 has put a spotlight on California Gov. Gavin Newsom to appoint a temporary successor to the longest-serving female senator and the longest-serving senator in U.S. and California history.

Ms. Feinstein, who was 90, died at her home in Washington on Sept. 28, her chief of staff, James Sauls, said in a statement. She was elected to the Senate in 1992, having previously served as mayor of San Francisco and president of the city’s board of supervisors.

Mr. Newsom has pledged that he would appoint a black woman to succeed Ms. Feinstein if the congresswoman retired before the end of her sixth term. A likely successor will be California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, who’s black and a Democrat.

Ms. Weber, 75, succeeded Alex Padilla, who was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Mr. Newsom to replace Kamala Harris when she was sworn in as vice president on Jan. 20, 2021. Mr. Padilla won a full six-year term in November 2022 and, with Ms. Feinstein’s death, becomes the senior senator from California.

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who’s also black, would be a logical choice given her longtime tenure in public service. However, Mr. Newsom has said he doesn’t want to be seen as picking a favorite in the 2024 primary from among the pool of current candidates, which includes Ms. Lee.

“Yes. Interim appointment. I don’t want to get involved in the primary,” Mr. Newsom told NBC News earlier this month. “It would be completely unfair to the Democrats that have worked their tail off. That primary is just a matter of months away. I don’t want to tip the balance of that.”

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However, Ms. Lee blasted Mr. Newsom’s comments on “Meet the Press.”

“I am troubled by the Governor’s remarks. The idea that a Black woman should be appointed only as a caretaker to simply check a box is insulting to countless Black women across this country who have carried the Democratic Party to victory election after election,” Ms. Lee posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

In addition to Ms. Weber, other names that could be under consideration to immediately succeed Ms. Feinstein are State Controller Malia Cohen, state Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, and Assemblywomen Tina McKinnor, Akilah Weber, Lori Wilson, and Mia Bonta. All are Democrats.

Akilah Weber is Shirley Weber’s daughter, while Mia Bonta is married to California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

Ms. Feinstein’s interim replacement would serve until what would have been the end of Ms. Feinstein’s term on Jan. 3, 2025, unless she joins the primary.