Dianne Feinstein should consider retiring from Senate, Barbara Boxer says
Feinstein, now 88 years old, insists she has no plans to step down
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer of California suggested this week that her ex-colleague, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, should consider retiring, according to a report.
Boxer said that if she spoke to Feinstein she’d express to her that a life away from Washington can be fulfilling on its own, according to the Los Angeles Times.
"If Senator Feinstein were to call me today and asked my advice, I would say only you can decide this," Boxer said in an article published on Thursday. "But from my perspective, I want you to know I’ve had very productive years away from the Senate doing good things. So put that into the equation."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"If Senator Feinstein were to call me today and asked my advice, I would say only you can decide this. But from my perspective, I want you to know I’ve had very productive years away from the Senate doing good things. So put that into the equation."
Boxer, 80, and Feinstein, 88, both Democrats, were first elected in 1992 when California became the first state to send two female senators to Congress.
Former US Senator Barbara Boxer attends a Gala Dinner to Benefit CORE and 10 Years of Life-Saving Work Across Haiti & Around the World at Wiltern Theatre on January 15, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for CORE Gala) (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for CORE Gala)
Feinstein says she has no plans to step down despite many Democrats hoping she’ll move aside soon and make way for someone younger and more liberal.
An article last year in The New Yorker magazine reported that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and others had been concerned about Feinstein's memory and ability to focus, especially during the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Feinstein balked at the criticism.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Meanwhile, Larry Elder, the GOP frontrunner in next week's California recall election to decide whether Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom remains in office, promised in a radio interview last week that he would replace Feinstein with a conservative if he’s elected and she steps down.
"God forbid Gov. Elder should replace Dianne Feinstein, who nobody’s seen in weeks," Elder told Mark Levin on his radio show last Friday. "I'm told she has a worse mental condition than even Joe Biden. They're afraid I would replace her with a Republican — which I most certainly would do and that would be an earthquake in Washington, D.C."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020. (Associated Press)
If Feinstein were replaced with a Republican, the Republicans would take the majority in the Senate.
Newsom, who like Feinstein is a former mayor of San Francisco, has promised to replace Feinstein with a Black woman if the senator retires.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Boxer left the Senate in 2017 and continues to stay active in politics, frequently making TV appearances, advising at the University of Southern California’s Center for the Political Future and working as a health care consultant.