Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) exploded at Golden State Gov. Gavin Newsom after he ruled out picking anyone to run for Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat to finish out her term if the 90-year-old can’t complete your service.
Newsom publicly vowed in 2021 to select a Black woman to take Feinstein’s place if the ailing nonagenarian was forced to resign before January 2025.
But with Lee running in a crowded, expensive and contentious Senate primary, Newsom modified his promise in an interview with NBC’s “Meet The Press” on Sunday.
“I don’t want to get involved in the primaries,” he said. “It would be completely unfair to Democrats who have worked hard. Those primaries are just a few months away. “I don’t want to tip the balance of that.”
Lee responded with a statement saying she was “concerned” by Newsom’s comments.
“If the Governor intends to keep his promise and appoint a Black woman to the Senate, the people of California deserve the best possible person for that position. It is not a symbolic appointment,” she wrote.
The California governor was eager to stay out of the bitter Democratic primary battle for the California Senate. JOHN G MABANGLO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
“The idea that a Black woman should be appointed only as an interim to simply check a box is insulting to countless Black women across this country who have led the Democratic Party to victory in election after election,” she added.
“Black women deserve more than a participation trophy. We need a seat at the table,” continued Lee, who has represented his Bay Area district since 1998.
While there are currently no Black women in the Senate, there are three Black men: Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Tim Scott (R-SC).
Barbara Lee, 77, has served in the House of Representatives since 1998. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Sipa USA
Only two Black women have ever served in the upper chamber: Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois and current Vice President Kamala Harris, a former senator from California.
Newsom spokesman Anthony York said Lee was venting about “a hypothetical situation on top of another hypothetical.”
“There is no vacancy for any seat in the United States Senate, nor does the Governor anticipate there will be one,” York said. “Voters will have their say on who should replace Senator Feinstein when they go to the polls in less than six months.”
Adam Schiff has proven himself to be a financial giant in the Senate primaries.AP
Katie Porter has aggressively sought endorsements from progressives like Senator Elizabeth Warren.Getty Images
Lee faces Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Katie Porter (D-Calif.) in the primary race.
Under California’s system, the top two primary vote getters advance to the general election, regardless of party. In 2016, the November showdown pitted Harris against then-Rep. Loretta Sánchez (D-Calif.).
Meanwhile, Feinstein, who is older than the chocolate chip cookie, has raised concerns about her ability to serve after a series of health problems and bouts of confusion.
Dianne Feinstein’s three-month absence from the Senate hampered her party’s efforts to expedite confirmation of President Biden’s judicial nominees. MICHAEL REYNOLDS/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Dianne Feinstein said earlier this year that she will not seek re-election to the Senate.Getty Images
Last month, she was briefly admitted to a San Francisco hospital and then released after a fall with no “injuries.” She was also sidelined from February to May due to complications from shingles.
Earlier this summer, an aide and a colleague had to goad Feinstein into voting “yes” on the annual defense spending bill.
She is the oldest sitting member in either chamber of Congress.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn