Feinstein not running for reelection, setting up contentious Senate primary

(WASHINGTON) — Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., announced Tuesday that she will not run for reelection after her term is up in early 2025 but will continue serving until then.

Feinstein, 89, has served in the Senate since 1992, winning several senior posts along the way. However, she recently faced pushback from progressives in Washington and California over some of her more centrist leanings, and concerns over her cognitive faculties became an open secret on Capitol Hill.

In a statement announcing her retirement, Feinstein insisted that she will remain focused on passing legislation important to Democrats through the end of her term, including curbing gun violence in the face of a string of mass shootings and ameliorating homelessness and wildfires.

“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,” she said.

“Even with a divided Congress, we can still pass bills that will improve lives. 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,” she concluded.

After announcing her retirement to her colleagues during a closed-door lunch Tuesday afternoon, Feinstein spoke briefly to reporters, saying, “the time has come.”

“There are times for all things under the sun, and I think that will be the right time,” Feinstein said of her retirement.

She made clear she’ll serve out the rest of her term. “It’s not till the end of next year. So, don’t hold your breath,” she joked.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., praised Feinstein as a “legend” and “an amazing woman,” adding that she gave a “very heartwarming and tearful address” to the Democratic caucus lunch.

“She got a standing ovation that lasted minuets and minutes and minutes. One of the longest I’ve ever seen, which shows the love that our caucus and our country have for this wonderful, wonderful leader and legend,” he said.

Feinstein’s retirement had been almost a foregone conclusion for a number of Democrats eyeing her seat.

Reps. Katie Porter, D-Calif., and Adam Schiff, D-Calif., have already announced runs for her seat, and Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., plans to announce a bid of her own by the end of February.

In a sign of Democrats’ confidence that Feinstein would sit out California’s 2024 Senate race, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., herself a power player in the state’s politics, said she would support Feinstein if she ran — but would throw her support behind Schiff if she didn’t.

“Dianne Feinstein is one of the finest legislators we’ve ever known,” Schiff tweeted. “From the torture report, a dogged pursuit of gun safety, and championship of LGBTQ+ rights, her body of work defines her legacy. We are so grateful for her ongoing leadership.”

“Senator Dianne Feinstein has had a remarkable career serving the people of California,” Porter said. “She created a path for women in politics that I am proud to follow. I thank the Senator for her leadership and appreciate all that she has accomplished for our state.”

Feinstein, the oldest sitting senator, had been facing pressure from fellow Democrats to make way for a younger generation and this year declined to fill the role of president pro tempore, a spot typically reserved for the majority party’s senior member.

Still, until recently, she had been batting away speculation over her future and rebuffed reports on concerns over her mental fitness.

Throughout her career in the Senate, Feinstein was a vocal advocate for stricter gun reforms and advancing LGBTQ+ rights, casting one of only 14 votes in the Senate against the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. She also helped spearhead legislation preventing the use of some methods of torture.

However, she has faced rebukes from progressives over the years, including for her cooperation with Republicans on Supreme Court nominees from former President Donald Trump and voting for the resolution authorizing the Iraq war, a stance she said she later came to regret.

Prior to her election to the Senate in 1992, Feinstein was San Francisco’s first female mayor.