Oldest Sitting Senator Won't Run for Reelection

Dianne Feinstein, 89, confirms the rumors
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 14, 2023 1:30 PM CST
Dianne Feinstein Won't Run for Reelection
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., arrives for the Senate Democratic Caucus leadership election at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Longtime Sen. Dianne Feinstein confirmed Tuesday what all of Washington already assumed—she won't be running for reelection, reports the Los Angeles Times. "I am announcing today I will not run for reelection in 2024, but intend to accomplish as much for California as I can through the end of next year when my term ends," the Democrat said in a statement. Feinstein has been doing almost no fundraising, and big names including Reps. Adam Schiff and Katie Porter already have announced they would be running in the Democratic primary for her seat.

At 89, Feinstein is the oldest sitting senator, notes the Hill. Reports previously surfaced that Feinstein has been suffering from memory problems that affect her ability to work as a senator, though Feinstein herself has rejected those claims. Feinstein was elected to the Senate in 1992, notes the Washington Post, having previously served as the mayor of San Francisco. The Hill reports that she received 7.8 million votes in her 2012 reelection, the most ever collected in an individual Senate election. (More Dianne Feinstein stories.)

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