Dianne Feinstein death - latest: Tributes pour in for California senator

“As an 18-year-old gay rights activist who had just fought unsuccessfully against an amendment to my home state of Kentucky’s constitution to ban same-sex marriages, I was incensed. It felt like she was casting a value judgment – one that suggested my civil rights could wait.

In hindsight, though, I have come to agree with Feinstein. Looking back two decades, it is easy to forget that 60 percent of Americans opposed equal marriage in 2004. For them, it was too fast, too soon, and Republicans understood this. George W Bush famously used same-sex marriage as a wedge issue. Republicans in 11 states put anti-marriage amendments on the ballot that November, galvanizing socially conservative voters who in turn helped Bush (who himself backed a federal anti-marriage amendment) win a second term.

As a scared gay teenager in Kentucky, I looked to Dianne Feinstein as a source of grandmotherly comfort, a reminder that there were people in the great wide world who did see me, who did respect me, and who did believe me their equal. Perhaps that was why I – young, angry, and disillusioned – felt her words hurt me so deeply. Perhaps that is also why I couldn’t see the wisdom of age contained within them.”

Skylar Baker-Jordan reports:

Vice President Kamala Harris issued a statement on the death of Senator Dianne Feinstein, who passed away Thursday evening.

“Senator Dianne Feinstein was one of the greatest public servants that California and our nation has ever known,” Ms Harris wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

As the first woman president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the first woman to serve as mayor of San Francisco and the longest-tenured woman to serve in the United States Senate, Dianne Feinstein broke barriers, inspired generations of women to run for office, and improved the lives of millions of Americans through her vision, courage, and leadership.

Ms Harris served as a Senator for California alongside Feinstein from 2017 until 2021. The two were close colleagues.

For years I witnessed Senator Feinstein’s leadership, when the cameras were on and when they were off. In 2008, I was re-elected District Attorney of San Francisco, it was Senator Feinstein who swore me in. As a United States Senator, it was my honor to serve the people of California alongside Senator Feinstein.”

“Doug and I send our prayers to Senator Feinstein’s family,” Ms Harris wrote.

At the time of her death, Diane Feinstein was the oldest sitting senator in the US Senate, with a long and storied career in American politics.

As a pioneer for women in Washington, she broke down many barriers in Washington marking a series of firsts.

Among her achievements, she was the first woman president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the first woman mayor of San Francisco and one of two of the first women ever to be elected to the US Senate for the state of California.

As well as being a prominent liberal – championing feminism, reproductive rights, gun control and environmental issues – Feinstein was also known for her bipartisanship, stretching across the divide to work with her Republican counterparts.

President Joe Biden described Feinstein as a “pioneering American” and “a true trailblazer” as flags were lowered at half staff across the US Capitol in her memory.

“Senator Dianne Feinstein was a pioneering American. A true trailblazer. And for Jill and me, a cherished friend. In San Francisco, she showed enormous poise and courage in the wake of tragedy, and became a powerful voice for American values,” he said in a statement.

Senator Dianne Feinstein’s political career began in San Francisco in the 1970s.

She was the first woman president of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors, and in that role, a tragedy tested her.

On November 27, 1978, Dan White, a former member of the Board of Supervisors, climbed through a City Hall window and assassinated Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk.

It was Dianne Feinstein who discovered Milk’s body, attempting in vain to save his life. She then faced the daunting task of informing the public about the tragic deaths, revealing that the suspect was Dan White. This series of events thrust Feinstein into the role of acting mayor. She later became the first woman elected mayor of San Francisco, serving for a decade during the height of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, where she funded research and treatment.

Feinstein would go on to become the first woman elected Senator of California in the historic year of the woman alongside Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) in 1992. She was also the first woman to serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1993. She was the first chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee in 2007 and the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2009. She paved a path other women could walk down.

With just over 13 months remaining until the 2024 general election, the death of California Senator Dianne Feinstein has thrown a massive wrench into the works of the ongoing fight to succeed her when the 119th Congress begins in January 2025.

Because California’s election system uses a “nonpartisan blanket primary,” all contenders vying for Feinstein’s seat run in a single primary race, after which the top two vote-getters — regardless of political party — appear on the November general election ballot.

Three prominent members of the House of Representatives — Democrats Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, and Barbara Lee — have been running for the now-open seat in the upper chamber, with Mr Schiff holding a significant advantage in most opinion polls.

Under the terms of the US Constitution and California law, Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, is responsible for appointing a replacement who will serve until a special election can be held.

Mr Newsom, who is rumoured to have designs on higher office himself, has not indicated who he might name to fill the late senator’s seat.

In her final years, Dianne Feinstein faced numerous news reports about her declining memory and health. After the 2020 presidential election, she gave up the top spot on the Senate Judiciary Committee and opted not to become Senate President Pro Tempore, the most senior senator in the majority, earlier this year.

In February, shortly after announcing she would not seek re-election, she would take leave from the Senate after she contracted shingles. In the weeks after her return, she was frequently seen being pushed in a wheelchair.

Feinstein was considered a hard-driving boss – once notably saying “I don’t get ulcers, I give them” – who nonetheless focused on work as much as she demanded from her team. Her final vote was earlier this week on advancing a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown.

Florida congressman Maxwell Frost, the youngest member of Congress currently, paid tribute to the late Senator Dianne Feinstein on X/Twitter.

“Senator Dianne Feinstein was a champion for Gun Violence Prevention that broke barriers at all levels of government. We wouldn’t have had an assault weapons ban if it wasn’t for Senator Feinstein and due to her tireless work, we will win it back. May her memory be a blessing.”

At the time of her death, Diane Feinstein was the oldest sitting senator in the US Senate, with a long and storied career in American politics.

As a pioneer for women in Washington, she broke down many barriers including advocating for gun violence prevention before the rise in mass shootings in the United States.

Shannon Watts, founder of gun safety group Moms Demand Action, called Feinstein “a trailblazer.” She added that the 90-year-old was “the first female president of the San Fransisco Board of Supervisors, the first female mayor of San Fransisco, first woman U.S. senator from California. And one of the first among her colleagues to support gun safety - including Dems.”