The Candidates Vying To Replace Dianne Feinstein As California's Next US Senator

After more than three decades serving California and her country in the U.S. Senate, Dianne Feinstein announced in February that she will not be seeking re-election after her current term ends in 2024.

Questions about how Sen. Feinstein's health and memory might affect her ability to serve her constituents have been coming up for several years, and most recently a bout with shingles earlier this year led to broader health complications for the longtime lawmaker, who turned 90 this year.

She has faced calls from many, including lawmakers and voters within her own party, to step down. But others have pushed back on the idea, arguing that calls for her to resign are borne of sexism and that many of her male counterparts over the years have continued to serve through physical and mental difficulties.

Already, a handful of prominent California politicians have thrown their names into the hat to replace Feinstein when she steps down:

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland)

Rep. Barbara Lee has announced that she will run for Dianne Feinstein's Senate seat in 2024.

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When Representative Barbara Lee tried out for the cheerleading squad at San Fernando High School, she was passed over because of her race — Lee is Black. So she went to the NAACP in Pacoima, which helped her organize students to go to the school administration and fight the discriminatory practices. She was later elected the first Black chair of the high school, the first of many girls of color who would later hold that position.

“I think that just explains my fight,” Lee said. “I'm not going to back down. I'm going to break barriers for not only myself but for other people who have been shut out, regardless of who you are.”

Lee said many of her personal experiences shaped her political outlook now — receiving public assistance as a single mother to two young boys, and taking her children with her to school when she attended Mills College and UC Berkeley because she could not find affordable childcare. These are among her priorities as a House Representative now, and as a 2024 senate hopeful:

Support for working families
Lee is a strong advocate for the expanded Child Tax Credit, which provided $250 to $300 per child in monthly payments to most working families. She says creating a safety net like this is crucial for keeping families out of poverty, as is creating a wide variety of pathways, from college to workforce training, for young people to attain a stable union job.

Checks and balances on the military
In the days after 9/11, Lee was the only Congress member who voted against the Authorization for Use of Military Force, which gave the president broad power to use all “necessary and appropriate force” in war efforts. She received vitriol and death threats in response, but now, she said, both Republicans and Democrats agree it should be repealed. Lee said she has always advocated for reducing the country’s defense budget, which tops $800 billion. “It's taking resources away from housing, the unsheltered, from education, for our climate crisis, for all of our domestic needs,” Lee said.

Listen to her conversation with LAist's "AirTalk"

Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 08: California Democratic candidate for Senate Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) speaks during a meet and greet event at Black Hammer Brewing Company on May 08, 2023 in San Francisco, California. Rep. Katie Porter is campaigning throughout the state as she looks to fill an empty seat that will be vacated when longtime Senator Dianne Feinstein retires. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

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As a congressional representative in Orange County, CA, historically a Republican stronghold, Democrat Katie Porter says she is used to reaching across party lines.

Porter said she has been able to persuade independent and conservative voters and win the respect of Republicans in Congress, even as she has leaned into core Democratic ideals like taking on corporate powers and adding protections for working-class families.

“I'm willing to partner [with] them,” Porter said. “But I'm not willing to compromise or moderate just for the sake of being popular in the backslapping halls of Congress.”

Here are some of the issues that will take center stage for Porter.

Taking a stronger stance on rooting out corruption

Porter said she strongly opposes Congressional stock trading — members of Congress participating in the stock market as individuals, sometimes investing in industries that intersect with their political work. Tightening the rules on fundraising and investments, creating a judicial code of ethics, and creating limits on who can serve as an “acting” official are among Porter’s goals for government accountability.

Focusing on climate change
As California and the United States make the transformation from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, Porter said, Congress will have to think about how to create jobs in the clean energy sector while maintaining national security and worker protections — as well as rooting U.S. foreign policy in understanding the grave threats that climate change poses to countries worldwide. Porter chairs a task force that focuses on these issues.

Making California livable for everyone
California is notorious for its homelessness crisis and general lack of affordable housing, and Porter said her own children — ages 11, 15, and 17 — are already worried they will be priced out of the state in their adult years. A larger government investment in housing is necessary, Porter said, along with imaginative strategies for partnerships between the federal government, states and counties.

Adding guardrails to capitalism
Porter’s legal background is in consumer protection — and she said fair pricing and consumer choice can’t exist when businesses can’t freely compete with each other. That's why she staunchly advocates for antitrust laws. Other guardrails will be important too, she said, like protecting workers’ right to unionize and ensuring that contracts are clear and fair.

Listen to her conversation with LAist's "AirTalk"

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank)

BURBANK, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 11: U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) waves to supporters outside the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Union Hall, at the kickoff rally for his two-week ‘California for All Tour’, on February 11, 2023 in Burbank, California. Schiff has launched his U.S. Senate campaign and is running in a Democratic field which includes Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) in the 2024 race to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who is expected to retire. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

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Representative Adam Schiff, who announced his 2024 Senate run back in January, says he has spent much of the last few years fighting threats to American democracy. Schiff led the first impeachment trial against then-President Donald Trump and served on the committee to investigate the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. capitol.

“What I'm offering is the leadership I think our state in the country needs right now in defending our democracy at a time when it is exceedingly fragile,” Schiff said.

And, Schiff said, he wants to use these strong leadership skills and the ability to take on powerful forces to advocate for Californians — many of whom, he said, find that the economy is simply not working for them or promising them a high quality of life.

Schiff listed a few of the key issues that could create a better future for the state and the country.

Stripping away the gun industry’s immunities
Schiff said that the gun industry enjoys an exceptional amount of immunity from the laws that govern other sectors. Broadly, gun manufacturers have been protected from liability for the ways people use their firearms. Schiff said they have enjoyed this immunity even when they act negligently or allow weapons to get into the wrong hands. Universal background checks and measures for increasing the industry’s accountability will be vitally important in the fight against gun violence, according to Schiff.

Environmental protections
Schiff said he is passionate about the environment — something he shares with Senator Feinstein. He and Feinstein have carried legislation to double the size of the open space in Los Angeles by doubling the size of the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area, Schiff said. Schiff was an original cosponsor of the Green New Deal and supports a host of legislative items for shifting towards renewable energy.

Supporting labor movements
Schiff said he has championed the interests of working people and supported labor efforts throughout his career. He said that part of the country’s economic difficulties can be attributed to a lack of support for collective bargaining over three to four decades. That has resulted in a huge wealth disparity in the United States, Schiff said. Helping small businesses cut through red tape, creating more jobs, and strengthening collective bargaining are particularly important to Schiff.

Listen to his conversation with LAist's "AirTalk"

Eric Early (Republican)

Then-California attorney general candidate Eric Early campaigns at an event at the Knott's Berry Farm Hotel near Anaheim in March 2022.

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Eric Early is no stranger to the campaign trail in California. The Republican attorney ran unsuccessfully for state attorney general in 2022, and 2018, losing both times in the primary, and in 2020 he came up short in his effort to oust current Congressman Adam Schiff in California's 28th Congressional District.

A vocal Trump supporter, Early announced his candidacy in April.

According to his campaign website, Early says that as someone who started and runs his own law firm, he knows the challenges of starting a business, and if elected, he will "work to cut overly-burdensome regulations that get in the way of entrepreneurship and job creation."

There are only a few details on his website regarding his positions on major issues, but he does briefly note that he supports strengthening borders and cracking down for fentanyl traffickers, efforts to end Russian advances in Ukraine and is against government spending that he says has "fueled the inflation crippling Americans."

NOTE: LAist is in the process of requesting interviews with candidates for California Senate in 2024 and will continue to update this article as we do. For a full list of candidates who have officially filed campaign paperwork, click here to be taken to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) website.