Gov. Gavin Newsom and Rep. Adam Schiff want Sen. Diane Feinstein, age 90, to finish her sixth term in the U.S. Senate, which expires in 2025, two months after the 2024 elections.

Feinstein is battling mental deficits due to her age. Feinstein said earlier this year that she would not seek a seventh term. Foolishly, back in 2021, Newsom said that if Feinstein retired early from the Senate, he would replace her with a Black woman. With Feinstein not seeking a seventh term, many candidates have joined the race to succeed her, with the top three contenders being Schiff (white male); Katie Porter (white female); and Barbara Lee (Black female).

Schiff is loved by big Democratic financial donors because of his ferocious bashing of former President Trump; they want his powerful voice in the Senate. Should Feinstein retire early, Newsom will almost certainly have to her replace her with Lee, who would immediately become the heavy favorite to win the Democratic nomination and general election, shattering Schiff's Senate dreams. Such a move would also expose Newsom as a disciple of the worst form of identity politics, not a good look for someone who someday wants to run for president.

Mark Shea

Moodus