Newsom faces difficult task — and rare opportunity — when filling Feinstein’s seat
1 year, 2 months ago

Newsom faces difficult task — and rare opportunity — when filling Feinstein’s seat

LA Times  

The death of California’s venerable Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein turns attention to Gov. The Democratic governor of California told NBC’s Chuck Todd earlier this month that he would make an “interim appointment” to the position if a seat in the Senate became vacant, signaling his intent to put a temporary caretaker in the role until voters choose a new senator in November 2024. I don’t want to tip the balance of that.” Smith said Newsom has to be careful not to “alienate a whole swath of California Democrats” with his decision. “If you want a really strong advocate for the state of California for the next year or a year and a couple months, do you really want somebody who’s just a placeholder?” Schiller said. “Changing his mind would make him seem indecisive and cause an uproar as he introduces himself to a national audience,” said Rose Kapolczynski, a Democratic strategist who ran Barbara Boxer’s Senate campaigns.

Political Black Democratic California Democrats Senate Black Women State Los Angeles House Smith Newsom Feinstein Seat Lee Padilla  task  women  seat  feinsteins  democratic  senate  faces  state  black  rare  lee  newsom  opportunity  filling  difficult  political  california

History of this topic

Column: Newsom is acting more like a governor should. Will that boost his White House prospects?
2 days, 20 hours ago

Column: Newsom is acting more like a governor should. Will that boost his White House prospects?

LA Times  

Gavin Newsom’s recent appearance at Redding’s Lassen College was part of a stepped-up focus on the red reaches of California. In promotional materials, the governor’s office describes the program as a “bottom-up strategy for creating good-paying jobs and regional economic development.” The plan follows lengthy consultation with locals in 13 parts of the state and aims to streamline programs and …

Laphonza Butler, 1st LGBTQ+ Black U.S. senator, exits office as Democrats question identity politics
2 weeks, 2 days ago

Laphonza Butler, 1st LGBTQ+ Black U.S. senator, exits office as Democrats question identity politics

LA Times  

Earlier this year, as Republicans sought to ban books with Black history and LGBTQ+ themes from schools across the country, the nation’s first openly gay Black senator stepped onto the Senate floor and read aloud from some of them. “Because I am a Black woman, because I am a lesbian, because I am myself — a Black woman warrior poet …

What Kamala Harris’ record in California tells us about her political future
5 months ago

What Kamala Harris’ record in California tells us about her political future

Politico  

After emerging from the competitive cauldron of San Francisco politics, Harris and Newsom enlisted the same blue-chip California consulting firm in their statewide campaigns, although Harris moved on from the firm now called Bearstar Strategies after her unsuccessful 2020 presidential run. Willie Brown, a former California Assembly speaker and San Francisco mayor whom Harris dated in the mid-1990s, helped Harris …

Column: California isn’t sending a Black woman to the Senate. But Barbara Lee won anyway
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Column: California isn’t sending a Black woman to the Senate. But Barbara Lee won anyway

LA Times  

Rep. Barbara Lee’s defeat in the U.S. Senate primary was disappointing to a close-knit California sisterhood. “You got 100 people in the Senate and you don’t have one Black woman.” The “Keep the Seat” campaign was born, and the words became a rallying cry. “You’re not in a circle that raises $30 million.” Lee, left, stayed in the race despite …

Gavin Newsom isn’t ready to endorse a successor
10 months, 4 weeks ago

Gavin Newsom isn’t ready to endorse a successor

LA Times  

One day before Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins became the third serious Democratic candidate to launch her campaign for governor in 2026, I interviewed Gov. Harris visits California, Newsom leaves Vice President Kamala Harris is ping-ponging up and down the Golden State this week to raise money for President Biden’s reelection. Keeping up with California politics Willamson’s California roots Presidential …

How Newsom made his surprise decision for Senate pick
1 year, 2 months ago

How Newsom made his surprise decision for Senate pick

LA Times  

Then-California Democratic candidate for governor, Lt. Gov. “Everybody else said, ‘Well, he’s painted himself in a corner,’” Newsom told reporters in San Francisco last week. “So how you make the choice and the media narrative that week is much less important than the choice that you make and what that means for California’s representation in the Senate going forward.” Newsom …

California governor chooses labor leader and Democratic insider to fill Feinstein’s Senate seat
1 year, 2 months ago

California governor chooses labor leader and Democratic insider to fill Feinstein’s Senate seat

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — When California Gov. Newsom said he told Butler to “do what you think is best for you and the state of California, and you make that judgment completely independent of any expectations from me.” Her selection drew swift criticism from Republicans, who have long struggled in a liberal-leaning state where Democrats haven’t lost a statewide election since …

California governor chooses labor leader and Democratic insider to fill Feinstein's Senate seat
1 year, 2 months ago

California governor chooses labor leader and Democratic insider to fill Feinstein's Senate seat

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Speaking to reporters Monday in San Francisco, Newsom …

Laphonza Butler Will Be The First Black, Openly LGBTQ+ Woman In The Senate Or House
1 year, 2 months ago

Laphonza Butler Will Be The First Black, Openly LGBTQ+ Woman In The Senate Or House

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Laphonza Butler, who California Gov. Laphonza’s appointment today is an exception to that rule, being a big step forward in our push for a more representative government.” “It is only right that a Black woman who has paved the way for countless others to lead is now given an opportunity to lead herself,” said NAACP president and …

Newsom’s pick to replace Feinstein could run in the 2024 Senate election
1 year, 2 months ago

Newsom’s pick to replace Feinstein could run in the 2024 Senate election

LA Times  

Gavin Newsom, shown at an event in May, is under pressure to quickly name his pick for Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat. Gavin Newsom deliberated over the weekend over whom he will appoint to the Senate following the death Friday of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, supporters of Rep. Barbara Lee mounted a campaign on her behalf and the governor’s staff worked to …

Newsom taps Laphonza Butler for Feinstein’s Senate seat
1 year, 2 months ago

Newsom taps Laphonza Butler for Feinstein’s Senate seat

LA Times  

Gavin Newsom has picked Laphonza Butler, a Democratic strategist who rose to prominence in the labor movement, to fill the Senate seat held by Dianne Feinstein, who died Friday at age 90. “An advocate for women and girls, a second-generation fighter for working people, and a trusted adviser to Vice President Harris, Laphonza Butler represents the best of California, and …

Column: Newsom’s cynical pitch: Hey, you there, Black woman. Can you keep Feinstein’s seat warm?
1 year, 2 months ago

Column: Newsom’s cynical pitch: Hey, you there, Black woman. Can you keep Feinstein’s seat warm?

LA Times  

Gavin Newsom spent the past few days as one might expect, privately grieving his “dear friend” Sen. Dianne Feinstein as “a lifelong mentor and a role model not only for me, but to my wife and daughters.” But sooner rather than later, he’ll have to reemerge and deal with the political mess that he’s made for himself — and when …

California Gov. Newsom will pick Feinstein’s replacement. He pledged in past to choose a Black woman
1 year, 2 months ago

California Gov. Newsom will pick Feinstein’s replacement. He pledged in past to choose a Black woman

Associated Press  

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Democrats’ fragile majority in the U.S. Senate puts extra pressure on California Gov. He also has said he would avoid the field of candidates already campaigning for the post, which will be on the ballot next year and includes Rep. Barbara Lee, one of the state’s most prominent Black women currently serving in elected office. Aimee …

California Gov. Newsom will pick Feinstein’s replacement. He pledged in past to choose a Black woman
1 year, 2 months ago

California Gov. Newsom will pick Feinstein’s replacement. He pledged in past to choose a Black woman

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. He has also promised to avoid the field …

Whom will Newsom pick to replace Dianne Feinstein? Here are some possibilities
1 year, 2 months ago

Whom will Newsom pick to replace Dianne Feinstein? Here are some possibilities

LA Times  

Names mentioned as potential candidates to temporarily fill Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat include, clockwise from top left: PolicyLink founder Angela Glover Blackwell, Rep. Maxine Waters, Bay Area Rapid Transit board member Lateefah Simon, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Whoever it is, “Newsom is going to be very keenly …

Barbara Lee to Newsom: Choosing a Black woman for short-term appointment is ‘insulting’
1 year, 3 months ago

Barbara Lee to Newsom: Choosing a Black woman for short-term appointment is ‘insulting’

LA Times  

Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s recent health troubles and advanced age have focused attention and pressure on another former San Francisco mayor: It would be up to Gov. Despite pressure on Newsom to appoint a Black woman to take Harris’ seat, the Democratic governor instead tapped then-Secretary of State Alex Padilla, a longtime political ally who made history as California’s first Latino …

California’s Newsom faces tough question: Who would replace Feinstein?
1 year, 7 months ago

California’s Newsom faces tough question: Who would replace Feinstein?

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s ongoing medical struggles have raised a sensitive political question with no easy answer: Who would California Gov. Newsom, who is mentioned as a possible future presidential contender, would also have to deal with political complexities, some of his own making: In 2021 he promised to appoint a Black woman should Feinstein’s seat become …

After calls to resign, Feinstein seeks Judiciary replacement
1 year, 8 months ago

After calls to resign, Feinstein seeks Judiciary replacement

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, who has faced calls to resign from fellow Democrats, asked Wednesday to be temporarily replaced on the Judiciary Committee while she recovers from illness that has kept her away from Washington for weeks. “In the meantime, I remain committed to the job and will continue to work from home in San …

Feinstein’s absence puts focus on Newsom’s promise to appoint a Black woman as senator
1 year, 8 months ago

Feinstein’s absence puts focus on Newsom’s promise to appoint a Black woman as senator

LA Times  

Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif speaks at a news conference at the Capitol in Washington in Feb. 2022. “The governor could complicate his legacy and push Black women, who in this state are a significant and critical voting bloc, to view him skeptically as someone who’s unwilling to support us when it counts.” The 100-member Senate does not include a single …

Rep. Barbara Lee joins race for California US Senate seat
1 year, 10 months ago

Rep. Barbara Lee joins race for California US Senate seat

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee on Tuesday formally launched her campaign for the Senate seat held by the retiring Dianne Feinstein, joining two fellow House Democrats in the race in the nation’s most populous state. In a video posted on Twitter, Lee ran through a list of the personal and professional battles she has taken on in her …

Rep. Barbara Lee kicks off Senate campaign to replace Feinstein
1 year, 10 months ago

Rep. Barbara Lee kicks off Senate campaign to replace Feinstein

LA Times  

Rep. Barbara Lee, seen on the House floor in 2020, announced Tuesday that she’s joining the 2024 Senate race. My lived experience and the work I’ve done — trying to lift people out of poverty, addressing issues around reproductive justice, the climate crisis, public safety, and working to get the job done on behalf of people — is what the …

California’s Rep. Lee files to seek Feinstein’s Senate seat
1 year, 10 months ago

California’s Rep. Lee files to seek Feinstein’s Senate seat

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee filed federal paperwork Wednesday to enter the race for the California seat held by long-serving Sen. Dianne Feinstein, potentially adding another Democrat and a nationally recognized Black woman to a growing field that already includes two other House members. She filed paperwork creating a Senate fundraising committee one day after Feinstein — at …

Who will replace the late Sen. Feinstein in 2024 election? Meet the potential candidates
1 year, 10 months ago

Who will replace the late Sen. Feinstein in 2024 election? Meet the potential candidates

LA Times  

Even before the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a historic force in California politics whose death was announced in late September, initially revealed that she would not seek reelection in 2024, ambitious Democratic politicians had begun lining up to replace her. Feinstein, 90, had been in the public eye for more than half a century, notably since she became San Francisco’s …

Column: The fight to replace Feinstein is going to be nasty, personal and very expensive
1 year, 11 months ago

Column: The fight to replace Feinstein is going to be nasty, personal and very expensive

LA Times  

Reps. Barbara Lee, left, and Katie Porter, right, have each signaled their intent to seek the Senate seat occupied by fellow Democrat Dianne Feinstein. “In this primary you’re going to have three or four or five Democrats who all meet the test of fighting for Democratic policies and sharing Democratic values,” said Rose Kapolczynski, who ran Barbara Boxer’s successful 1992 …

Rep. Barbara Lee tells colleagues she plans to run for Feinstein’s Senate seat in 2024
1 year, 11 months ago

Rep. Barbara Lee tells colleagues she plans to run for Feinstein’s Senate seat in 2024

LA Times  

Rep. Barbara Lee was considered a top contender for a potential appointment to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein if the senator were to vacate her seat before her term expires. Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland, a seasoned progressive with more than three decades immersed in California politics, on Wednesday told congressional colleagues she plans to run for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s …

Column: Katie Porter just forced the California Senate race into the open, where it belongs
1 year, 11 months ago

Column: Katie Porter just forced the California Senate race into the open, where it belongs

LA Times  

Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, seen at a 2019 town hall meeting, got a jump on the competition by announcing her 2024 Senate bid. By launching her bid for U.S. Senate — open, upfront, for all the world to plainly see — Rep. Katie Porter has placed the contest where it belongs: squarely before the voters of California. Politics Rep. Katie …

Newsom will appoint Black woman if Feinstein retires early
3 years, 9 months ago

Newsom will appoint Black woman if Feinstein retires early

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday he’d appoint a Black woman to replace U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein if she retires before her term is up in 2024. He faced competing pressure to name a Latino and a Black woman and eventually chose Alex Padilla, making him California’s first Latino U.S. senator. U.S. Reps. Barbara Lee of Oakland …

Newsom has considered successors, but Feinstein says she isn’t stepping down
3 years, 9 months ago

Newsom has considered successors, but Feinstein says she isn’t stepping down

LA Times  

Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Tuesday found herself once again swatting back speculation that she might retire and insisted she would serve out the entirety of her fifth full term as California’s senior senator. The embattled California governor added: “I have multiple names in mind.” Newsom’s willingness to publicly speculate about replacing a sitting U.S. senator who has not announced plans …

Newsom pledges to appoint a Black woman to replace Feinstein if she retires
3 years, 9 months ago

Newsom pledges to appoint a Black woman to replace Feinstein if she retires

LA Times  

Gavin Newsom speaks at a news conference in Sacramento on Feb. 27. Newsom said Monday he would nominate a Black woman to fill Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat, were she to retire. Gavin Newsom pledged Monday to nominate a Black woman to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein if the 87-year-old decides to retire before her term is up in 2024. “I have …

Column: After Nancy Pelosi, who? San Francisco plays a guessing game
3 years, 9 months ago

Column: After Nancy Pelosi, who? San Francisco plays a guessing game

LA Times  

Nancy Pelosi has said nothing about retiring, but that hasn’t stopped quiet jockeying to succeed her in Congress. “I don’t know why anybody would line up for the job,” said Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who described Washington as a “messed-up, gridlocked mosh pit” and may be the only sentient politician in San Francisco with no interest in running. “But I have …

Gov. Newsom challenged to address Senate’s lack of diversity
4 years ago

Gov. Newsom challenged to address Senate’s lack of diversity

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Should California get its first Latino U.S. senator or should the 100-member chamber maintain one Black woman’s voice? The only Black woman to be a major party’s nominee for Senate this year — Marquita Bradshaw in Tennessee — was not supported by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. “But that just did not happen for Tennessee.” Black women’s …

Gov. Newsom challenged to address Senate's lack of diversity
4 years ago

Gov. Newsom challenged to address Senate's lack of diversity

The Independent  

Sign up for the Independent Women email for the latest news, opinion and features Get the Independent Women email for free Get the Independent Women email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Without Harris, the only Black woman in the Senate, the chamber has: — two Black senators, …

With 2 open seats, Newsom may reshape California politics
4 years ago

With 2 open seats, Newsom may reshape California politics

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Joe Biden’s White House win has made Gov. When the Democrat president-elect plucked a second California official for an administration post, he handed Newsom another opportunity to put his stamp on a generation of leadership in the nation’s biggest Democratic state. Biden added more intrigue Monday when he tapped California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as his health …

Who will be Kamala Harris' successor as California senator?
4 years, 1 month ago

Who will be Kamala Harris' successor as California senator?

LA Times  

With the presidential race called for Democrat Joe Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, on Saturday, California Gov. He might select a Black woman to replace Harris, who was only the second Black woman in the nation’s history to serve in the U.S. Senate. In congratulating Biden and Harris, Newsom said he is confident that they “can turn …

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