SAN FRANCISCO — Few figures have shaped California politics like Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
The San Francisco Democrat is the longest-serving woman in the history of the U.S. Senate. Her long-anticipated announcement this week that she would retire rather than seek another term in 2024 sets an end date on more than 30 years in Congress and has ignited a succession scramble among ambitious House Democrats.
Feinstein’s signal achievements on firearms and oversight required her to overcome some of Washington’s mightiest entrenched interests, most notably the gun lobby and the federal intelligence apparatus. She has also delivered for California in ways that have drawn less attention beyond the state, including an act protecting millions of acres of desert in southern California. She has led some of the body’s most influential committees in the Senate and Judiciary panels, overseeing high-stakes appointment fights and investigations.
