Senator Dianne Feinstein, California’s U.S. Senator for three decades, has died at age 90. Her death was shocking, yet given her significant health issues this year, not unexpected.

Senator Dianne Feinstein has died at 90 years old, ABC7 Insider Phil Matier has confirmed. Her career was one of many firsts. 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 elected to the U.S. Senate from California.

“Dianne Feinstein, right from the start, was an icon for women in politics,” said former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Senator Chuck Schumer adds, “She’s a legend. A legend in California as the first woman senator. A legend in the Senate. She was the leader on so many different issues.”

Senator Feinstein missed months of work earlier this year due to contracting a severe case of shingles. When she did return to the Senate, she was incredibly frail and sadly demonstrated that she was not tracking mentally. Meanwhile, several of her Democrat colleagues, and I use that term loosely, were either calling for her to resign, or were positioning themselves to run for her seat. Among that group are Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, and Barbara Lee. 

Feinstein leaves behind quite the legacy of political achievement in California and as a United States Senator. 

In Congress, Feinstein served as the first woman to chair the Senate Rules Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee. She authored the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban, leading to a 10 year restriction on certain semi-automatic weapons. The legislation was prompted by the 101 California Street shooting, when a gunman opened fire at a law firm in San Francisco’s financial district, killing eight people.

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Feinstein’s legislative legacy also includes:

Creating federal coordination of Amber Alerts, the national child abduction warning system
Passing the California Desert Protection Act, which protected millions of acres of California desert and created the Death Valley and Joshua Tree national parks
Reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, to protect women from domestic violence and sexual assault
Authoring the 2022 Respect for Marriage Act, to enshrine marriage equality into federal law

It was because of Dianne Feinstein that many other women decided to throw their hats in the ring whether on the local, state, or national level.

Sen. Feinstein’s office releases statement: pic.twitter.com/d1ynrZzhpA

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 29, 2023

Many in California as well as women in Congress owe much of their political careers to Dianne’s guidance and record. 

Senator Dianne Feinstein was a trailblazing titan in the U.S. Senate and in our nation’s history. Throughout her storied career, she paved the way for countless women and girls to stand up and make a difference. We’ll always cherish her life and legacy, and we'll miss her dearly.

— Kyrsten Sinema (@SenatorSinema) September 29, 2023

While she did work to meet Republicans on middle ground over the years, that record of good will and bipartisanship was severely marred by her conduct during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings. Notably because of Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony and Feinstein’s role in that mess. 

That was not a good time for Dianne Feinstein. Yet, on other matters, she knew just how to respond. Remember the Sunrise movement kiddies and their pushy parents? 

RIP to Senator Feinstein. May her memory be a blessing.

My favorite Feinstein moment was her telling off a bunch of kids being used by climate activists to try to guilt Senators into bad policy: pic.twitter.com/fzso9laPJp

— AG (@AGHamilton29) September 29, 2023

Yes, for much of her tenure, until this last year with her health problems, Dianne Feinstein knew what she was doing and how to get things done, and did so on multiple occasions by reaching across the aisle. 

However, we must ask ourselves, what’s next? She had planned to retire in 2024. Now her seat must be filled by an interim Senator. That’s up to Gavin Newsom. 

Newsom, who is mentioned as a possible future presidential contender, would also have to deal with political complexities, some of his own making: In 2021 he promised to appoint a Black woman should Feinstein’s seat become open. Meanwhile, a 2024 Senate campaign is underway to fill the seat when the senator’s term ends in January 2025.

There’s also nothing to stop him from appointing himself. Except that, in recent weeks, indications pointed to Newsom running a shadow campaign for President. That said, if he appoints Adam Schiff, that leaves yet another seat open that he’d have to back fill. Adam Schiff is bad enough as a Congressman, can you imagine him as a SENATOR??!! 

Dianne Feinstein was a trailblazer on multiple levels. From her work locally in San Francisco, to her thirty years in the United States Senate. 

Feinstein became San Francisco’s first female mayor. In the Senate, she was one of California’s first two female senators, the first woman to head the Senate Intelligence Committee and the first woman to serve as the Judiciary committee’s top Democrat. https://t.co/ZjpdM5CZsd

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 29, 2023

Whether one agrees with her political record or not, Dianne Feinstein leaves behind a significant body political work. Whomever takes her seat as an interim Senator, or prevails during the next election has some very big shoes to fill. 

“Toughness doesn’t have to come in a pinstripe suit,” Feinstein would say, asserting her determination to defy gender stereotypes in order to become a leader.

Feinstein “got shit done by working with people on both sides of the aisle and refusing to get caught up in unnecessary nonsense,” John Burton, a former California Democratic Party chair, said when Feinstein had announced her intention to retire from the Senate on Feb. 14, 2023.

No matter her politics, Dianne Feinstein did help pave the way for many, specifically women, to throw their hat into the political ring. 

Feature Photo Credit: Michael Reynolds / Pool Photo