Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said she would support Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) in a bid for the Senate seat currently occupied by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Breitbart reported. Feinstein is 89 years old but has yet to announce her retirement.
Questions about Feinstein's possible retirement have recently surfaced after raised only $558.91 between October and December 2022. In all, she only has $10,000 in her re-election war chest.
Still, Feinstein has yet to make a public decision one way or another. Democrats are champing at the bit for a chance to fill the seat in the heavily blue area.
Pelosi praised the lawmaker for her "remarkable legislative record" in Congress and pledged her "whole-hearted support" should she run in 2024. Feinstein has been in the Senate for more than 30 years and is the oldest-serving person in the Senate.
However, Pelosi is ready to support her replacement should the time come. She had high praise for Schiff, who made a name for himself as her attack dog going after former President Donald Trump.
"If she decides not to run, I will be supporting House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, who knows well the nexus between a strong Democracy and a strong economy," Pelosi said. She added that Schiff would likely be "effective from the start in putting People Over Politics."
The former House Speaker said she was impressed by Schiff's commitment to "public service" while in office. "Ever since I supported Adam in his race for Congress in 2000, I have known his commitment to putting the American Dream in place for everyone," Pelosi said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
"Coming from a family of immigrants, Adam has dedicated his life to public service," she added. "Every time I have asked Adam to take on the tough fight against extremist forces, he has responded with integrity, strength and success," Pelosi continued.
Pelosi had chosen Schiff to go after Trump during his first impeachment attempt. He also spearheaded her other pet project, the House Select Committee on the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol.
She apparently sees Schiff as the great hope for the country. "America is at a crossroads. We can continue to lift our communities, strengthen our economy and defend our democracy — or let Republicans roll back our progress, threaten our freedoms and give tax breaks to the wealthy special interests."
"In 2024, the fight for America’s future is on the ballot," Pelosi claimed. However, Democrats will be fighting instead for their own future as President Joe Biden faces a tough re-election bid, and another Senate seat up for grabs isn't ideal.
Moreover, even Pelosi's blessing doesn't mean that Schiff, a "straight white male in a diverse state," as the Chronicle noted, will clinch the nomination. Rep. Katie Porter has already announced her intention to run for Feinstein's seat and may prove a better intersectional choice, Politico reported.
She launched her candidacy on Jan. 10, though some felt it was in poor taste, considering Feinstein hadn't given any indication she was leaving. "Right now, I’m focused on ensuring California has all the resources it needs to cope with the devastating storms slamming the state and leaving more than a dozen dead," Feinstein deflected when asked about Porter's decision.
The Democratic Party is full of elderly politicians who hold on long past the time when they should. However, it will be a race to watch as California moves ever leftward.
