With the passing of California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the seat is now open for Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to fill by appointment. And many wonder if he might give the nod to TV talk show host and billionaire Oprah Winfrey.
By state law, Newsom, of course, will be the one responsible for replacing Feinstein, who died Friday at the age of 90, for the remainder of her term now that Feinstein is no longer in the picture.
Not long ago, Newsom pledged that he’d put a black female in Feinstein’s seat if it came down to him to fill Feinstein’s unexpired term. And many are speculating that he just might give the nod to Winfrey.
Unsurprisingly, blacks have already started ramping up the pressure on Newsom to fulfill his promise to appoint a black woman to Feinstein’s seat.
“He made the commitment, and I do not believe there is any wiggle room for the governor not to honor his commitment,” said Kerman Maddox, a black Los Angeles-based Democratic strategist and fundraiser, according to ABC News.
“Newsom must honor his promise to appoint a black woman. I trust him at his word. We currently have zero black women in the Senate, so if the opportunity becomes available the governor must act to help remedy this lack of representation,” added Democratic state Assemblywoman Lori Wilson, who is the head of the Legislative Black Caucus.
If Newsom is to stick to his promise, he has a number of candidates from whom to choose.
Already three candidates have announced their intention to officially run for Feinstein’s seat; Rep. Barbara Lee, who is black; Rep. Katie Porter, who is white; and Rep. Adam Schiff, who is also white.
Choosing Lee might put Newsom in a tricky spot. Yes, she would fulfill his pledge of appointing a black woman to the seat, however, he would also anger the other two, both of whom are power players in California’s far-left politics.
Will Newsom appoint Oprah as a Senator?
Yes: 27% (4 Votes)
No: 73% (11 Votes)
Newsom has already nixed that, though. During a visit to “Meet The Press” last month, Newsom rejected the notion of appointing any of the three announced candidates.
So, Newsom is faced with a self-imposed task of having to find a black woman who would not want to run for a full term once the appointment to run out Feinstein’s time comes to an end. Meaning, he might be looking for a seatwarmer, someone who won’t want to stick around for too long.
Election adviser Stan Taney said that there is not a deep pool of qualified black women who would fill that category and Newsom may have put himself in a touchy spot, the California Globe reported.
Newsom “put himself in a corner after promising a female black Senator should Feinstein go. There’s only so many who are qualified in California,” Taney said.
But he went on to say that Oprah may be just what Newsom needs.
“Winfrey has been known to be political and outspoken on issues, plus she is popular with many people,” Taney added.
Taney also said that “she is known, is liked, does know about many subjects, college grad, and would likely agree to only serve out the term.”
“You really can’t call her the best candidate,” Taney said, “but you can also do worse. If she is picked, it would make front page news. I mean, come on, Senator Oprah? I mean, there has been Governor [Arnold] Schwarzenegger, so this would be very on brand for California.”
Newsom, though has been blasted for setting himself up to fill a racial and gender preference instead of looking for the best person to represent California in the U.S. Senate.
He even took criticism from Barbra Lee who called his pledge “insulting.”
“I am troubled by the Governor’s remarks. The idea that a Black woman should be appointed only as a caretaker to simply check a box is insulting to countless Black women across this country who have carried the Democratic Party to victory election after election,” Lee said on X.
I am troubled by the Governor’s remarks. The idea that a Black woman should be appointed only as a caretaker to simply check a box is insulting to countless Black women across this country who have carried the Democratic Party to victory election after election. https://t.co/Q5Q3jznuFd
— Barbara Lee (@BarbaraLeeForCA) September 11, 2023
Regardless, Gavin Newsom has once again proven that he makes no move except that which will push the far-left agenda. Clearly, he is more interested in pushing a racial and gender quota than in choosing someone who could best serve his own voters.
