Who Could Replace Dianne Feinstein?

Veteran Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein died on Thursday aged 90, after serving in Congress for more than three decades.

The Californian's death reduces the number of Democratic-aligned senators to 50, versus 49 Republicans. It comes at a crucial time, with a confrontation between House Republicans and the Biden administration on track to throw the government into a partial shutdown at the beginning of next month.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has the right to appoint a temporary stand-in for the vacant Senate seat, before a special election in 2024 that will determine who holds the seat until January 2025. This will take place in addition to the November general election, when Californians will decide who occupies the seat for six years, beginning in January 2025.

If Newsom appoints one of the main Democrat contenders for the seat to the Senate on an interim basis, then it could give them an incumbency advantage over internal party rivals.

The governor has previously promised to appoint a Black woman for the seat. Of the main contenders, only Rep. Barbara Lee, who was elected to the House by California's 12th congressional district, fulfils this criteria. Alternatively, Newsom may chose to appoint someone on the condition that they don't then run in the special election so there's no incumbency advantage. This could be a politician approaching the end of their career who would appreciate a brief Senate stint.

Either way, a special election will have to be held, and there are three main Democratic candidates who are widely expected to battle for the seat. All of them serve in the House of Representatives. Newsweek has provided a brief rundown of the trio of main contenders.

Rep. Adam Schiff

Adam Schiff, aged 63, represents California's 30th district in the House, where he has served since 2001, having previously worked as a California state senator. Schiff, then chair of the powerful House Intelligence Committee, led the prosecution in Donald Trump's first impeachment trial. This resulted in an acquittal when it failed to get the requisite two-thirds support in the Senate.

A UC Berkeley Institute for Governmental Studies poll released earlier this month had Schiff as the lead candidate to replace Feinstein. He had 20 percent of the vote, followed by Rep. Katie Porter with 17 percent, and Rep. Lee on 7 percent.

Schiff has a formidable fundraising machine, with 495 people having given him the maximum $6,600 in campaign funds during the first half of the year, according to a Politico analysis. This is far more than any other candidate.

Federal Election Commission (FEC) figures showed that Schiff had a campaign war chest of $29.8 million on June 30 of this year.

Rep. Katie Porter

Katie Porter, aged 49, has represented California's 47th congressional district in the House since January, and previously represented the 45th congressional district for four years from 2019.

A Yale University and Harvard Law School graduate, Porter held $10.4 million in campaign funds on June 30, according to the FEC. However, she is much more reliant on small donations than Schiff, with just 47 people having given her the maximum $6,600 in the first six months of the year.

Porter paid tribute to Feinstein after her passing on X, formerly Twitter, posting: "Senator Feinstein was a trailblazer for women in California politics, and her leadership on gun violence prevention and anti-torture made our nation more just. I wish her loved ones strength during this difficult time."

Rep. Barbara Lee

Lee, aged 77, served in both the California House and Senate before being elected to the House of Representatives in 1998. She attracted prominence after being the sole member of Congress to vote against authorizing the use of force in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. Lee later became a vocal opponent of the Iraq War.

She is polling behind Schiff and Porter and has a far-smaller campaign fund, with just $1.4 million on June 30, according to FEC figures. However, if appointed to the vacant Senate seat on an interim basis by Gov. Newsom, she could benefit from incumbency in the following special election.