Interesting times just got more interesting
Minutes ago (Associated Press):
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, a centrist Democrat who was elected to the Senate in 1992 in the “Year of the Woman” and broke gender barriers throughout her long career in local and national politics, has died. She was 90.
Three people familiar with the situation confirmed her death to The Associated Press on Friday.
Feinstein, the oldest sitting U.S. senator, was a passionate advocate for liberal priorities important to her state — including environmental protection, reproductive rights and gun control — but was also known as a pragmatic lawmaker who reached out to Republicans and sought middle ground.
She was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1969 and became its first female president in 1978, the same year Mayor George Moscone was gunned down alongside Supervisor Harvey Milk at City Hall by Dan White, a disgruntled former supervisor. Feinstein found Milk’s body.
Feinstein had been in declining health for some time and had obvious memory issues.
Her condition had grown more acute over the past several months, after a bout with shingles that caused serious complications, including a case of encephalitis, and prompted her to begin using a wheelchair in the halls of the Capitol.
Ms. Feinstein’s long and very public decline shone a spotlight on the advanced age of members of Congress and particularly the Senate, where many continue to serve long after retirement age.
Her staff was being officially informed of her death at 9 a.m.
Politico notes the impact on the Democrats’ hold on the Senate:
Her death, confirmed by a person with knowledge of the situation, brings Senate Democrats’ functional majority to 50 votes, with Republicans holding 49 votes. Two other Democratic senators tested positive for Covid this week — and the majority of the caucus is calling on indicted Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) to resign.
Interesting times just got more interesting.
Feinstein had previously announced she would not run for reelection in 2024. President Joe Biden responded by lauding Feinstein (with whom he served in the Senate) as “a passionate defender of civil liberties and a strong voice for national security policies that keep us safe while honoring our values.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) will select a replacement to serve out the remainder of her term.
AP and others report Dianne Feinstein has passed. RIP DiFi.
— emptywheel (@emptywheel) September 29, 2023
Here’s a link to the SSCI Torture Report, one of her most important legacies. https://t.co/pWWCGDMfRV
Will Republicans ‘honor’ Dianne Feinstein’s legacy by blocking her replacement on the Judiciary Committee?
— Lauren Windsor (@lawindsor) September 29, 2023
They were threatening to do so if she resigned; will they do that in death? Do they really want to set that precedent?
Stay tuned if you weren’t already.