In her first comments on the record following the publication of an explosive San Francisco Chronicle piece quoting multiple unnamed lawmakers and staffers questioning her fitness to serve, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein says she won't step down before the end of her term in 2024.
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The Chronicle reported on Thursday morning that three Democratic senators, a Republican senator, a Democratic member of Congress and three ex-Feinstein staffers had told the paper, on the condition of anonymity, that the 88-year-old's "rapidly deteriorating" memory meant she could no longer fulfill her Senate duties, and represent more than 40 million Californians, without overly relying upon her staff.
“As she’s gotten older, she is not the Dianne Feinstein that we knew 38 years ago,” KCBS Radio politics reporter Doug Sovern said on KCBS Radio's "Bay Current" on Friday. “There were a dozen sources that were quoted anonymously about this, and there’s a difference between aging and dementia, but it does appear that Feinstein’s memory loss is worse than other people at her age.”
Feinstein declined to be interviewed for the outlet’s initial story, but she told its editorial board later on Thursday that she was "rather puzzled by all of this" and hadn't heard any colleagues directly raise such concerns.
"I meet regularly with leaders," Feinstein told the paper’s editorial board in a call on Thursday. "I'm not isolated. I see people. My attendance is good. I put in the hours. We represent a huge state."
Feinstein has served in the Senate since 1992, winning reelection five times. She is the oldest U.S. senator in the oldest Senate in U.S. history. Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley is a few months younger than Feinstein, and the Republican is seeking reelection this November.
Should Democrats retain control of the Senate, Feinstein would succeed Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy as third in line to the presidency as the Senate's president pro tem. President Joe Biden, 79, is the oldest president in U.S. history.
The New Yorker, citing anonymous sources, reported in 2020 that it was "evident for several years" that Feinstein was "seriously struggling" with her short-term memory. Bruce Cain, a political scientist and the director of Stanford University's Center for the American West, told KCBS Radio's Kris Ankarlo and Patti Reising in an interview on Thursday that timing is the biggest difference between now and then.
"It's not surprising to me that this would come up at this point because I'm sure there are people who would like to ease her out with a couple of years to go so that the people that would want to run would have an opportunity to start and gear up their campaigns," he said.
Feinstein has filed papers to run for reelection in 2024 – when she’ll be 91 – and doing so allows her to continue fundraising. But since the start of last year, she has raised fewer than $5,600, according to campaign filings, while the retiring Leahy has raised more than $1 million.
Cain said Feinstein's "bar" she must clear for reelection is whether she can handle opposition research, and debate-stage questions, centered upon her age and mental fitness. That's a decision she, alongside her staff, will have to make, but he doesn't expect the Democratic Party to push her out.
But Cain noted Feinstein’s colleagues will likely air out their concerns in the meantime.
"I think party loyalty is much weaker than it used to be," Cain said. "The networks are not as strong, so people are bolder about saying things that used to be behind closed doors, and I suspect that's, as much as anything, what we're seeing right now."
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