Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Tuesday said she had no plans to step down, responding to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statement during a televised interview Monday evening that he is committed to replacing her with a Black woman should the seat open, and already has a list of possible names.
“No,” Feinstein (D-Calif.) said when asked if she had any plans to resign. “I’ve not discussed that with anybody. Nobody has asked me questions about it.”
Feinstein, 87, said she was fully committed to serving a full term, which would end in January 2025. She said she was confident in her ability to continue to do the job.
Asked Monday by MSNBC’s Joy Reid if he would commit to appointing a Black woman if Feinstein’s seat opened, the embattled California governor said he would. “I have multiple names in mind,” he added.
Feinstein said she did not know why the governor would publicly discuss that he had thought about the possibility of her stepping down early, and that his comments were being overblown.
“You’ll have to ask him,” she said. “Please, we’re very good friends. I don’t think he meant it the way some people thought.”
Feinstein said that reporters asking her questions about a possible resignation were “making a mountain out of a molehill.”
When asked if there were any conditions under which she would leave her seat early, she said: “Not that I know of.”
