U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) announced today that she will not seek a sixth term.
“I am announcing today I will not run for reelection in 2024 but intend to accomplish as much for California as I can through the end of next year when my term ends,” Feinstein said in a press release.
Feinstein’s retirement will mark 54 years in public office. She was first elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, where she would remain until November 1978, when she was appointed acting mayor following the assassination of Mayor George Moscone.
Feinstein was reelected in 1983 and served until 1988. In 1990, Feinstein ran for Governor, losing to Republican Pete Wilson by 3.5%.
Feinstein first came to the U.S. Senate in 1992 after defeating incumbent Republican. Senator, John Seymour. Seymour had been appointed to fill the Senate seat vacated by Pete Wilson, who resigned to become the 36th Governor of California.
Also in that 1992 election, then-U.S. Representative Barbara Boxer was elected to her first term in the Senate. Boxer’s election meant that California would join Wisconsin in having a fully-Jewish U.S. Senate delegation (Senator Herb Kohl served from 1989-2013 and Senator Russ Feingold from 1993-2011, both democrats from Wisconsin). It was also the first time any state was represented by two female senators.
Feinstein has been reelected to four more terms. In 2018 Feinstein she defeated then-State Senator Kevin de Léon by over 8%, despite the California Democratic Party denying Feinstein its endorsement.
“I campaigned in 2018 on several priorities for California and the nation: preventing and combating wildfires, mitigating the effects of record-setting drought, responding to the homelessness crisis, and ensuring all Americans have access to affordable, high-quality health care,” Feinstein said today. “Congress has enacted legislation on all of these topics over the past several years, but more needs to be done – and I will continue these efforts.”
Feinstein’s Senate career was marked by numerous leadership positions, including Chair of the Senate Rules Committee, Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee and Chair of the Senate Narcotics Caucus.
As the most tenured current U.S. Senator, Feinstein was eligible to be elected the president pro tempore of the Senate, a position that is third in line in the presidential line of succession (after Vice President and Speaker of the House of Representatives). Typically, the most senior member of the majority party holds that position. However, Feinstein declined, and U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) currently holds the title.
“I’ve never thought about being the president pro tempore and I have no interest in it at this time,” Feinstein told the Sacramento Bee last fall.
Feinstein’s passing on the pro tempore position and ultimately, her retirement, come after reports that her colleagues were noticing the 89-year-old’s declining health.
“It’s bad, and it’s getting worse,” a Democratic senator told the San Francisco Chronicle in April 2022.
A 2021 Los Angeles Times column, “The Tragedy of Dianne Feinstein” by Mark Z. Barabak, called Feinstein “a pioneer for women in politics and powerful member of the U.S. Senate.” The same column cited a mental decline and said “Feinstein is no longer the politically revered figure she once was.”
Still, in her press release today, Feinstein reaffirmed her priorities.
“I also remain focused on passing common-sense legislation to fight the epidemic of gun violence, preserving our pristine lands and promoting economic growth – especially to position California for what I believe will be the century of the Pacific. And I will use my seniority on the Appropriations Committee to ensure California gets its fair share of funding.”
As the most senior member of the U.S. Senate and the oldest member of the entire United States Congress, Feinstein looked back on her accomplishments.
“From the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban to the 2014 CIA torture report, from preserving Lake Tahoe and the Mojave Desert to passing the first significant global warming legislation, from protecting student athletes from abuse to protecting consumers from harmful chemicals, and more recently improving our efforts to combat wildfire and drought, we have improved the lives of millions.”
On recent issues regarding Israel, in 2019, Feinstein voted against Israel Anti-Boycott legislation.
“Despite my strong support for Israel, I couldn’t support legislation that infringes on Americans’ First Amendment rights. Free speech is the foundation of our democracy and this bill would erode that foundation. I encourage my colleagues in the House not to support this bill as written,” Feinstein said in a statement.
In 2020, Feinstein urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyaju to “preserve the viability of a two-state solution by not annexing lands in the West Bank.” Later that summer, Feinstein welcomed normalized relations between Israel in the United Arab Emirates.
In 2022, Feinstein joined a bipartisan group of senators to urge the Biden Administration “to maintain the United States Security Coordinator (USSC) position at the three-star rank in the face of reported plans to downgrade it to a non-general or flag officer.” Based in Jerusalem, the USSC serves as a crucial liaison between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. .
As of this writing, three major candidates have declared that they will be running for Feinstein’s U.S. Senate seat, in what is expected to be a long and expensive campaign: U.S. Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine), U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) and educator Denice Gary Pandol (R-Bakersfield).
For the balance of her term, Feinstein said she plans to continue to do what she has done for the past three decades while representing California on Capitol Hill.
“Even with a divided Congress, we can still pass bills that will improve lives,” Feinstein said. “Each of us was sent here to solve problems. That’s what I’ve done for the last 30 years, and that’s what I plan to do for the next two years. My thanks to the people of California for allowing me to serve them.”
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