Billionaire media mogul Oprah Winfrey says she is not interested in replacing Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) should she resign early over medical problems.
Representatives for Winfrey threw cold water on the idea after her name was floated this week as a potential replacement for the Senate's oldest member, who has faced mounting pressure to resign before her term ends next year. The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that Winfrey was one of a number of names being "floated in California circles" as someone who could fill the seat in a caretaker capacity, meaning that she would merely serve out the remainder of Feinstein's term without running for reelection.
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"Oprah Winfrey is not considering the seat should it become vacant," her spokesperson said, ending speculation about the talk show legend entering politics.
Feinstein, the Senate's oldest member at 89, had been gone from the upper chamber since receiving a shingles diagnosis in February. Her absence stymied the Democrats' ability to pass President Joe Biden's nominees and legislative efforts. The party only controls the Senate by a 51-49 margin, meaning that one absence gives the Republicans an opportunity to block any partisan effort.
After years of criticisms from those in her party who said she was no longer up to the job, Feinstein said at the time of her diagnosis that she wouldn't seek reelection in 2024, though she vowed to serve out the remaining 20 months of her term. Facing resignation calls from House Democrats and frustration from her Senate colleagues that was spilling out into public view, a wheelchair-bound Feinstein returned to the Capitol in mid-May looking frail and at times disoriented.
Feinstein has remained adamant that she will not resign before the end of her term despite concerns about her fitness to serve and has described being a senator as her "calling."
Despite that refusal, Feinstein's deteriorating health has placed Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) in an uncomfortable position. The race to replace Feinstein in the next Congress is between Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Katie Porter (D-CA), and Barbara Lee (D-CA), with Schiff leading in the polls by a significant margin. Newsom vowed in 2021 that he would fill Feinstein's seat, should she retire early, with a black woman after he appointed Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), a Hispanic male, to replace Vice President Kamala Harris.
Lee, a black woman, was one of Newsom's front-runners to fill Harris's seat, though the governor is hoping to avoid weighing in on the 2024 primary with his pick for Feinstein's replacement. Lee has polled well behind Schiff and Porter, so an appointment by Newsom would give her the benefit of incumbency in her primary race. To prevent this, Newsom is considering caretaker options, which is where a name such as Winfrey's came in.
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The talk show legend's inclusion on the list of possible replacements comes, at least in part, as a result of the dwindling number of available names for Newsom to choose from. San Francisco Mayor London Breed, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have also been referenced as potential Feinstein successors, though Bass and Jenkins are fairly new to their positions and would not necessarily be interested in leaving.
Winfrey has flirted with running for public office before, even considering a White House bid in the 2020 cycle that she ultimately decided against.