Newsom pays tribute to Feinstein: ‘A political giant’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is offering words of praise for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) after her death was announced Friday morning.

“Dianne Feinstein was many things — a powerful, trailblazing US Senator; an early voice for gun control; a leader in times of tragedy and chaos,” Newsom said in a statement. “But to me, she was a dear friend, a lifelong mentor, and a role model not only for me, but to my wife and daughters for what a powerful, effective leader looks like.”

Feinstein served three decades as a California senator before dying at the age of 90, a person with knowledge of her passing confirmed to The Hill. Punchbowl first reported the news of her death.

“She was a political giant, whose tenacity was matched by her grace. She broke down barriers and glass ceilings, but never lost her belief in the spirit of political cooperation,” wrote Newsom, who now has the power to appoint an interim replacement before next year’s election. Feinstein had already announced she would not be seeking another term in 2024.

She had been struggling with her health for many months, relying on a wheelchair after missing nearly three months of work following a severe case of shingles earlier this year.

“Every race she won, she made history, but her story wasn’t just about being the first woman in particular political office, it was what she did for California, and for America, with that power once she earned it,” Newsom’s statement said. “That’s what she should be remembered for.”

The governor has not announced who will replace Feinstein but said he and his wife would be mourning “with her family in this difficult time.”