Former California senator prods Feinstein to consider retirement

Former Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) suggested that a former colleague of hers, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), should consider retiring.

“If Sen. 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 told The Los Angeles Times during a recent video interview.

The two worked together since 1992 when Feinstein and Boxer were elected to the Senate, though Boxer served until 2017 when she retired.

Earlier this year, there was speculation about whether Feinstein would retire early given her age of 88 years old. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said that if Feinstein retires, he would choose a Black woman to fill the senator’s seat.

“Please, we’re very good friends. I don’t think he meant that the way some people thought,” the California senator said to journalists in March.

When asked if she intended to serve her full term, which ends in 2025, she said, “Absolutely.”

“I think that’s pretty obvious,” she added.

California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder (R), who is vying for the governorship amid a recall election set for next Tuesday, vowed that Feinstein would be replaced with a Republican if he won.

“They’re afraid I’m going to replace her with a Republican, which I most certainly would do and that would be an earthquake in Washington, D.C.,” Elder said on the “Mark Levin Show” last week. 

However, recent polling suggests that Newsom will be able to survive the last recall efforts. A recent poll by Suffolk University, released on Wednesday, found that 58 percent of voters back the California governor against a recall effort.