September 10, 2023 09:43 AM
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) would name an “interim appointment” for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) should the Senate seat open up, aside from the three Democrats currently running for the oldest serving senator’s seat.
“Yes. Interim appointment. I don’t want to get involved in the primary,” Newsom said Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press when asked if he’d act on his authority to name a successor.
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Speaking directly on the possibility of Feinstein stepping down as the 90-year-old Democrat has experienced broader health complications from the shingles virus earlier this year, Newsom said he’s “the most subjective human being in the world on this topic.”
Feinstein announced in February that she would not run for reelection in 2024 but would serve out her current term in office.
“It would be completely unfair to the Democrats that have worked their tail off,” Newsom said. “That primary is just a matter of months away. I don’t want to tip the balance of that.”
WATCH: Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) says Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-Calif.) should decide her future, saying, “I leave it to her.”@GavinNewsom: “I don’t want to make another [Senate] appointment, and I don’t think the people of California want me to make another appointment.” pic.twitter.com/1Nz15mL5QW
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) September 10, 2023
Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Katie Porter (D-CA) are the three Democrats campaigning to replace Feinstein, with Schiff polling ahead of his fellow progressives, bringing in high fundraising numbers after House Republicans voted to censure him in June. Schiff holds 20% of support, according to a Berkeley IGS poll released Thursday. Porter is second with 17% and Lee has 7%.
The California governor said he’ll fulfill his 2021 promise that if Feinstein’s seat became vacant, he would choose a Black woman to replace her. Supporters of Lee have been hopeful Newsom’s pledge would lead to her nomination as the sole Black woman candidate.
“We hope we never have to make this decision,” Newsom said. “I abide by what I’ve said very publicly on a consistent basis.”
He praised her staff’s capabilities, saying they are “still extraordinarily active, and we wish her only the best.”
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Newsom has said he isn’t keen on filling another Senate seat, already bringing in Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), the former California secretary of state, to succeed Vice President Kamala Harris in 2020.
“I don’t want to make another appointment, and I don’t think the people of California want me to make another appointment,” Newsom said.