The death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein places Gov. Gavin Newsom under intense pressure to quickly name a replacement as a bitterly divided Congress votes on a spending plan in the coming hours to avert a government shutdown.

Newsom had hoped to avoid the politically charged decision of selecting a second senator. But he will need to move swiftly as a budget standoff has the government on the verge of shutting down, and Senate Democrats could need every vote. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) affirmed on Friday that the fast-moving political situation creates an imperative for Newsom to make a difficult decision quickly.

“He, you know, wants to be respectful and not name somebody while folks are still grappling with their grief,” Kaine said, but “we cannot afford to be one down. We really can’t.”

The timing of Feinstein’s death — four months before a primary but more than a year before the end of her term — complicates this election cycle. Staff at the California secretary of state’s office was huddling early Friday morning to determine the timelines that would govern an appointment or a possible special election.

  • @flossdaily
    link
    511 year ago

    Remember, as awful as she was, there are 49 Republican senators who are infinitely worse.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      271 year ago

      They are both systemic issues, and ranking them by “bad” is not particularly important. Ranking them by changeable is. Which is to say, either promote acceleration or term limits.

      • @flossdaily
        link
        11 year ago

        The context is very relevant, because while party infighting is great, it’s absolutely vital to keep some perspective.

        Feinstein was awful, but not let-trump-get-away-with-sedition awful.