After much speculation about the 2024 U.S. Senate race in California, incumbent Senator Dianne Feinstein announced Tuesday that she would not seek reelection to the seat she has held since 1992.
The 89-year-old was first elected to the upper chamber in a 1992 special election, and is currently the oldest sitting senator as well as the longest-serving female senator in U.S. history.
"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 statement posted Tuesday afternoon.
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. Even with a divided Congress, we can still pass bills that will improve lives.
— Senator Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) February 14, 2023
"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 continued. "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 statement continued, saying:
I also remain focused on passing commonsense 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.
I’m confident we can achieve these goals because we’ve done it before. 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.
Focusing on the remaining months of her decades-long career that began before this writer was born, Feinstein insisted that, despite "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," she said. My thanks to the people of California for allowing me to serve them."
In recent years, Feinstein faced criticism from those within her own party for alleged memory and cognitive issues — accusations Feinstein and her office adamantly denied despite anecdotes claiming frequent confusion and challenges with short-term memory.
The New York Times reported in 2022 that "Ms. Feinstein sometimes struggles to recall the names of colleagues, frequently has little recollection of meetings or telephone conversations, and at times walks around in a state of befuddlement — including about why she is increasingly dogged by questions about whether she is fit to serve in the Senate representing the 40 million residents of California, according to half a dozen lawmakers and aides who spoke about the situation on the condition of anonymity."
These concerns were validated again on Tuesday when Feinstein seemed surprised to learn of her own retirement when asked about it by reporters:
Feinstein on her retirement: “I haven’t made that decision. I haven't released anything.”
— Savannah Behrmann (@SavBehrmannDC) February 14, 2023
Staffer: “We put out the statement.”
Feinstein: “You put out the statement? I didn't know they put it out.”
If she had run again, Feinstein would have been 91 on Election Day in 2024, and — if she won reelection— 97 by the end of that term.
Now, it's up to decades-younger Democrats to battle it out to fill Feinstein's shoes. Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) previously announced her campaign for the California U.S. Senate seat in 2024, as did Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA).
This is a developing story and may be updated.