NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who represented California for three decades in the Senate, died at 90.
The trailblazing Democratic senator died Thursday night, a family member told the New York Times. Three people familiar with the situation confirmed her death to The Associated Press.
Feinstein, who was elected to the Senate in 1992, was the oldest member of the Senate and the longest-serving female senator in U.S. history.
Feinstein had been dealing with health issues in recent years, and she announced in February that she would not run for a sixth term in 2024.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom will name her replacement.
Feinstein was a passionate advocate for liberal priorities important to her state -- including environmental protection, reproductive rights and gun control -- but was also known as a pragmatic lawmaker who reached out to Republicans and sought middle ground.
Feinstein was San Francisco's first female mayor. In the Senate, she was one of California’s first two female senators, the first woman to head the Senate Intelligence Committee and the first woman to serve as the Judiciary committee’s top Democrat.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.