Rep. Lee fumes as Gavin Newsom vows not to appoint aspiring Dems if Feinstein vacates seat

[Kamaji]

Rep. Barbara Lee fumes as Gavin Newsom vows not to appoint aspiring Dems if Feinstein vacates seat

By Ryan King
Published Sep. 11, 2023

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) exploded at Golden State Gov. Gavin Newsom after he ruled out picking anyone running for Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat to finish her term if the 90-year-old is unable to complete her service.

Newsom publicly promised in 2021 to select a black woman to take Feinstein’s place if the ailing nonagenarian was forced to step down before January 2025.

But with Lee running in a packed, expensive and contentious Senate primary, Newsom modified his vow in an interview with NBC’s “Meet The Press” Sunday.

“I don’t want to get involved in the primary,” he said. “It would be completely unfair to the Democrats that have worked their tail off. That primary is just a matter of months away. I don’t want to tip the balance of that.”

Lee responded with a statement saying that she was “troubled” by Newsom’s remarks.

“If the Governor intends to keep his promise and appoint a Black woman to the Senate, the people of California deserve the best possible person for that job. Not a token appointment,” she wrote.

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Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/09/11/barbara-lee-fumes-over-newsom-snub-on-feinstein-replacement-black-women-deserve-more/

[bigheadfred]

Shut up and earn it.

[PeteS in CA]

 

DiFei resigning or mahogany-boxing would put Goobernor EmptySuit Noisome in 3-way a damned-if-he-does-damned-if-he-doesn't position:

If he picks one of the primary candidates, he gives that person the advantage of incumbency and POs other candidates' Dem supporters;

If he picks someone else, he practically creates a new, incumbent, candidate;

If he leaves DiFei's seat open, that shifts Senate majority to the Rs.