California Sen. Dianne Feinstein Not Running in 2024

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Tuesday that she will not seek reelection in 2024. The decision was widely anticipated, so much so that two U.S. House Democrats have been in the race to succeed her for several weeks, with a third member expected to announce later this month.  

Feinstein, 89, has served in the Senate for over 30 years, winning a special election in 1992 over Republican John Seymour. Seymour had been appointed by Gov. Pete Wilson, who had resigned from the Senate after he defeated - wait for it - Dianne Feinstein in the 1990 gubernatorial election. 

Seymour was the last California Republican to serve in the U.S. Senate, and that likely won't change with Feinstein's departure. 

Democratic Reps. Katie Porter (CA-47) and Adam Schiff (CA-30) have already declared. Their colleague, Barbara Lee (CA-12) is expected to launch her bid later this month. Schiff has the backing of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

According to The Atlantic, "the contest will offer voters a choice between three distinct eras of Democratic thinking: Porter, 49, embodies the pugnacious anti-corporate populism associated with Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren; Schiff, 62, is a more mainstream liberal, shaped by Clinton-era centrism; and Lee, 76, is an uncompromising leftist and living link to the most confrontational elements of the 1960s social movements." 

Feinstein is the third Senator to pass on running in 2024. Fellow Democrat Debbie Stabenow of Michigan is retiring, while Republican Mike Braun is running for governor of Indiana.

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