Schiff: Feinstein accomplishments made US, world a better place

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), one of the candidates running to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein in 2024, paid tribute to the groundbreaking California Democrat after her death was announced Friday morning.

“Today, the nation has truly lost a giant of the U.S. Senate, California has lost its trail-blazing leader, and I lost a real friend and mentor,” Schiff said in his statement. “Senator Dianne Feinstein was one of the finest legislators we have ever seen, and her accomplishments made our country and world a better place.”

Feinstein served three decades as a California senator before dying at the age of 90, making her the longest serving woman senator in U.S. history. She had been struggling with her health for several years, relying on a wheelchair after missing three months of work in Washington, D.C., after a severe case of shingles.

Feinstein announced in February that she would not seek reelection in 2024. Schiff is among a handful of House Democrats campaigning for her seat, after he said Feinstein told him to “go forward” with a bid.

In his statement released Friday, Schiff said Feinstein’s legacy is “unmatched.”

“Senator Feinstein single-handedly pushed an assault weapons ban over the finish line, and never gave up her fight to end gun violence. She fought powerful agencies to investigate and uncover torture – and made sure it would never happen again. She helped protect California’s natural beauty and preserve its lands for generations. And she always fought for LGBTQ rights and women’s equality throughout her career,” Schiff’s statement said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) will now have to pick a temporary replacement for Feinstein.

“California and all its citizens are truly indebted to the Senator and her family for her decades of service,” Schiff’s statement concluded. “We are all better off for her dogged pursuit of policies that made our country a better union.”