California Democrat U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced on Tuesday that she will not run for reelection in 2024. Feinstein is 89 and has well-known, short-term memory issues. In fact, she told reporters today she was not aware that the press release about her retirement had gone out earlier in the day, and told them she had not made up her mind yet about retirement. But her press release says otherwise.
Feinstein said she plans to work through the end of her term, which ends in January of 2025. She has served in the Senate since 1992.
“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. 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,” she said in a statement.
In her time in office, the homelessness crisis has exploded in California, and wildfires have increased, and drought has deepened. The national debt has exploded and schools across the country are churning out students who can’t read, write, or calculate.
“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,” she said.
Memorable to Alaskans, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski was photographed cornered by Sen. Feinstein in the Capitol, seen above in a CBS News photo, during the contentious confirmation vote for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. The photo made it appear that Murkowski was being bullied by Feinstein to vote against Kavanaugh’s confirmation. Murkowski was a “no” vote for Kavanaugh but ended up voting “present” instead.
Feinstein has focused much of her career on gun control, famously saying, “It’s simple logic: If you can’t buy a beer, you shouldn’t be able to buy an assault weapon. If you can’t buy a handgun, you shouldn’t be able to buy an AR-15.” She has long been an advocate of red-flag laws.
