Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Sunday that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) told him to “go forward” with his campaign for her Senate seat in 2024, even though she has yet to announce whether she will seek reelection.
“She’s told me — and we’ve spoken a couple of times, and I’ve stayed in close touch with her staff as well — that she’s determined to finish her term,” Schiff said of the senator in an interview on MSNBC.
“There’s a lot she wants to accomplish. She’s still grieving over the loss of her husband and that she wants more time to make her own decision. But she said that, you know, that I should go forward, that I don’t need to wait,” he added.
A Feinstein spokesperson confirmed to The Hill that the senator had encouraged Schiff’s run.
Feinstein hasn’t formally announced whether she’ll seek a sixth term in office, but the senator is widely expected to retire. Schiff last week followed Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) in announcing a bid for the California seat.
Schiff said Feinstein, whom he lauded as “a giant in our state,” was “more than gracious” about his decision to jump in the ring. Porter earlier this month said she hadn’t talked to the senator before launching her campaign.
Schiff sidestepped a question on whether he’ll continue running if Feinstein decides to seek reelection.
“I don’t want to step on any announcement that she will make. I think she’ll make her own decision when she believes the time is right. … So I don’t want to get ahead of her announcement. Let’s give her the time and space to make her intentions,” he said.
Two other California Democrats, Reps. Barbara Lee and Ro Khanna, are also said to be considering a run for the Feinstein’s seat as progressives look to grow their ranks in 2024.
— Updated Jan. 31 at 2:02 p.m.