Newsom pressured to tap black woman to replace deteriorating Feinstein; Oprah reportedly on short list
May 25, 2023 | Chris Donaldson
California Governor Gavin Newsom may have boxed himself in if ailing Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein retires after he vowed to appoint a woman of color if the seat opened up, and in the current racially charged environment, he will be under intense pressure to deliver or face backlash from black residents who are already perturbed over his waffling on reparations payments.
With disgraced former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (R-Calif.) being the preferred choice of Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi, who still wields enormous clout, Newsom could look to an unconventional choice with practically unrivaled star power who would appease black voters and stifle critics, entertainment mogul Oprah Winfrey.
The 89-year-old Feinstein finally returned to the Senate two weeks ago as demands from members of her own party for her to hang it up were growing in volume, including from opinion leader Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). But she was clearly not in good shape, reportedly not even realizing that she had been gone and leading to calls of elder abuse, and lawmakers like Rep. Ro Khanna (R-Calif.) have continued to insist that she call it a career a month shy of her 90th birthday.
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https://www.bizpacreview.com/2023/05/25/newsom-pressured-to-tap-black-woman-to-replace-deteriorating-feinstein-oprah-reportedly-on-short-list-1362095/