Gov. Gavin Newsom under pressure to quickly name a replacement for late Sen. Dianne Feinstein

The death of California Sen. Dianne Feinstein leaves a vacant seat in the Senate, forcing Gov. Gavin Newsom to pick a replacement who will serve until the 2024 election — which is already shaping up to be a close race.

Newsom issued a statement following the news of Feinstein’s passing, mourning the death of “a powerful, trailblazing U.S. Senator; an early voice for gun control; a leader in times of tragedy and chaos.”

He said the Democratic senator was his friend, mentor and role model, and an effective leader to his wife and daughters. Newsom, a Democrat, has previously spoken about his personal connection to the late senator, whom he has known since childhood and interned for in college.

“Every race she won, she made history, but her story wasn’t just about being the first woman in a particular political office, it was what she did for California, and for America, with that power once she earned it,” he said, offering Feinstein’s family his condolences.

His statement didn’t address the vacant Senate seat.

What has Newsom said about appointing a replacement for Sen. Feinstein?

The California governor in an interview on “Meet the Press” in early September said that he planned to make an “interim appointment” — meaning someone who was unlikely to run for the seat in 2024.

Feinstein, 90, the oldest sitting U.S. senator, had already announced last year that she wouldn’t be seeking reelection but planned to finish serving the rest of her term until January 2025.

“I don’t want to get involved in the primary,” Newsom said. “It would be completely unfair to the Democrats that have worked their tail off. That primary is just a matter of months away. I don’t want to tip the balance of that.”

But a recent UC Berkeley/Los Angeles Times poll found that 51% of voters want Newsom to appoint someone who is prepared to run for a full term in 2024 instead of holding office for a brief period.

Newsom added that his choice would be an African American woman, especially since the 100-member Senate doesn’t include one after Vice President Kamala Harris vacated her seat in 2021.

The competitive 2024 Senate race in California

Rep. Barbara Lee, the only Black woman in the race, said in a post on X, a platform formerly known as Twitter, that Newsom’s remarks were “insulting.”

“The idea that a Black woman should be appointed only as a caretaker to simply check a box is insulting to countless Black women across this country who have carried the Democratic Party to victory election after election,” she said.

The notable candidates campaigning for the position are Democrats Lee, Rep. Adam Schiff, who was on a committee that investigated Jan. 6, 2021, and the attack on the Capitol, and Rep. Katie Porter, who is famous for using a whiteboard as a visual aid during hearings. California heavily leans blue, and its “jungle primary” system allows Democratic candidates to face off.

As NBC News reported, “Schiff and Porter are well ahead of Lee in polling and fundraising, so an appointment is widely seen as Lee’s best shot at winning the Senate seat.”

It’s unclear whether Newsom will stick to his promise of not tipping the balance of the 2024 Senate race. His replacement choice for the California Senate seat — one of the most coveted positions in the state and the country — holds a lot of weight, especially since many political pundits speculate the California governor might run for the White House, possibly last-minute in 2024 or in 2028.