Pelosi endorses Schiff in California Senate race – unless Feinstein runs for re-election

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Rep. Katie Porter addresses controversy over Senate announcement

Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., said Thursday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that she reached out to Sen. Feinstein before announcing her own 2024 bid for the Senate seat.

Democratic California Rep. Nancy Pelosi will support Rep. Adam Schiff of California to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein if she chooses not to seek re-election, she said in a statement Thursday. 

"I will be supporting House Intelligence Committee chair Adam Schiff, who knows well the nexus between a strong democracy and a strong economy," Pelosi, the former House speaker, said Thursday. "In his service in the House, he has focused on strengthening our democracy with justice and on building an economy that works for all."

However, her endorsement was qualified on the condition that Feinstein decides not to run for office again.

CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC REP. ADAM SCHIFF TO RUN FOR US SENATE SEAT HELD BY FEINSTEIN

FILE - Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., listens as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi speaks to reporters following a meeting with President Biden at the White House in Washington, D.C, on May 10, 2022. (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)

"If Senator Feinstein decides to seek re-election, she has my whole-hearted support," Pelosi clarified.

Feinstein raised a mere $558.91 from October to December 2022, according to filings released Tuesday from the Federal Election Commission (FEC). 

CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT REP. KATIE PORTER ANNOUNCES 2024 SENATE RUN FOR SEN. FEINSTEIN'S SEAT

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., greets Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson in her hideaway office at the Capitol, Wednesday, March 16, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta))

Feinstein, who at 89 is the oldest currently serving senator, has not yet announced plans to run for re-election.

FEINSTEIN RAISES UNDER $600 AS CALIFORNIA SENATE CANDIDATES JUMP IN

Schiff said he is "deeply honored and so proud to have the support of Speaker Pelosi, who has been a friend and mentor throughout my time in Congress. She has accomplished so much for Californians, for children and for working families, and deeply understands the challenges to our democracy that lie ahead," according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

In addition to Schiff, fellow Democratic Rep. Katie Porter has announced her intentions to run for Feinstein's seat.

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U.S. Representative Katie Porter (D-CA) speaks during a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on gun violence on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. June 8, 2022. (Andrew Harnik/Pool via REUTERS)

In a clip shared to social media, Porter, who won re-election to her House seat in the November midterm elections, said, "We're living through a time of extraordinary change. I'm Katie Porter. Change can be electrifying and exhilarating, but change can also be disruptive — like the constant assault on our democracy and the dangerous imbalance in our economy."