Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA) colleagues honored her career as a female pioneer in politics upon the news of her death on Friday.
The declining health of the 90-year-old senator, whose weekslong absence from the Senate earlier this year led to calls for her to resign, has been the focus of a narrowly divided chamber this term.
DIANNE FEINSTEIN DEAD AT 90: FIVE-TERM SENATOR AND OLDEST MEMBER OF CONGRESS DIES
But her allies and fellow lawmakers, from Washington to California and beyond, remembered her contribution to the institution across her five terms as a senator from the Golden State.
That legacy is defined by the example she set for a generation of women entering politics. Feinstein, the longest-serving woman in the Senate, was elected to the chamber in 1992 at a time when it was almost entirely male.
“She had an immense impact on younger female leaders for whom she generously opened doors,” President Joe Biden said in a statement on Friday. “Dianne was tough, sharp, always prepared, and never pulled a punch, but she was also a kind and loyal friend, and that’s what Jill and I will miss the most.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, formerly the junior senator from California, called it an honor to have served beside her and noted that Feinstein had sworn her in years earlier following her reelection as district attorney of San Francisco in 2008.
Congressional leadership quickly delivered statements lauding her accomplishments and what her tenure meant for Washington.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) celebrated her as an unstoppable force with “relentless integrity,” highlighting the “chauvinistic” attitudes she had to endure on Capitol Hill. Speaking from the Senate floor, he credited the progress she helped usher in for women like his two daughters.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) echoed Schumer’s remarks, calling her a trailblazer for women and noting the “steady hand” with which she helped lead the Judiciary and Intelligence committees during her time in the Senate.
Above all, he celebrated their friendship.
“You know how we refer to ‘our friend’ from whatever state it is? Often that is not true. But Elaine and I were friends with Dick and Dianne,” McConnell said, noting that he and his wife would continue to cherish the 30 years they had known Feinstein.
In the House, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who represents a district in California’s Central Valley, hailed her as a female icon, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said she would be “greatly missed.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), who had pledged to appoint a black woman in Feinstein’s place should her seat become vacant, called her a “political giant” but also emphasized her character and unyielding “belief in the spirit of bipartisan cooperation.
“There is simply nobody who possessed the poise, gravitas, and fierceness of Dianne Feinstein,” he said in a statement.
That sentiment was repeated in a statement released from the office of Feinstein that called her death a “great loss for so many.”
“Senator Feinstein never backed away from a fight for what was just and right,” it said. “At the same time, she was always willing to work with anyone, even those she disagreed with, if it meant bettering the lives of Californians or the betterment of our nation.”
Feinstein, who chaired the Intelligence Committee from 2009 to 2015 and led Judiciary Committee Democrats from 2017 to 2021, received praise from Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), the current chairmen of the panels.
Her legacy includes the 2014 report on the CIA’s detention of terrorist suspects as well as her ardent support for gun restrictions. But her later years were defined in part by friction with liberals who wanted to see her step aside for a more confrontational generation of Democrats. She agreed to relinquish her post as the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee in 2020.
Warner lauded her efforts on an assault weapons ban, adding that her death has left him “heartbroken.” Durbin highlighted their long friendship.
“She was my friend and my seatmate on the Senate Judiciary Committee for over 20 years,” Durbin said. “She was always the lady, but she never backed down from a cause that she thought was right.”
Feinstein’s status as a trailblazer extends further back than her career as a senator. She was also San Francisco’s first female mayor, an accolade mentioned in Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) statement on her death.
“Standing strong amid horror and heartbreak, from the brutal murders of Harvey Milk and George Moscone to the deadly HIV/AIDs epidemic, she offered our city a beacon of strength and hope,” she said.
Pelosi, whose eldest child had emerged as a caretaker for Feinstein in her final months, has long been close with her family. The ex-speaker and Katherine, another one of her daughters, could be spotted in the Senate gallery as senators paid tribute to Feinstein.
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Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who at age 90 is now the oldest serving member of the Senate, lauded the “outstanding job” she did representing California on X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter, reflecting on the “wonderful working relationship” the two had.
Pelosi led the House in a moment of silence honoring Feinstein on Friday.
