From breaking barriers to strong leadership, Dianne Feinstein has been a force | Opinion

The announcement on Tuesday that Sen. Dianne Feinstein would not seek re-election in 2024 at the age of 91 was as unsurprising as it was long overdue. Feinstein had remained silent on her re-election plans for so long, high-profile Democrats announced their intentions to run for her seat before she had even relinquished it.

Even though it was clear Feinstein wasn’t raising much money to seek another six-year term, it was still unbecoming for a leader of her stature to have politicians in her own party essentially make her decision for her.

Feinstein’s announcement on Tuesday puts to rest all the unfortunate headlines and sad stories about a giant of the Senate in cognitive decline, staying too long in a job she performed with distinction and against all odds.

Feinstein was the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from California in 1992. She will be remembered for enacting America’s only assault weapons ban. No woman has served longer in the Senate than Feinstein has. She was a force for California and the nation after breaking stubborn glass ceilings in politics. Before she was a senator, Feinstein was the first woman to become mayor of San Francisco. It was Feinstein who had to rally her city after the murders of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978.

Feinstein served as mayor for nearly a decade, a time of explosive growth and change in San Francisco. Feinstein was a Democrat with a conservative bent, a style that made her an effective leader who could work with Republicans and who had strong connections in California’s business community.

She never changed, but California’s political environment changed around her as Feinstein’s bipartisan political style fell out of favor in her home state.

Feinstein’s friendships with Republican senators such as Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Susan Collins from Maine were viewed by progressives as a betrayal; Graham and Collins both supported Supreme Court nominees who would form the recent majority that struck down Roe v. Wade.

It could be argued that Feinstein’s nadir was her unfocused performances as the lead Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee when conservatives Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh were confirmed to the high court. A once powerful leader was suddenly portrayed as hapless and worse. News stories focused on her cognitive decline and Feinstein soon relinquished her senior role on the Judiciary committee.

Then when Feinstein said nothing about her re-election plans, House Democrats Adam Schiff and Katie Porter declared they were running for her seat. It will be part of Feinstein’s record that she stayed too long in her role, but her achievements should eclipse her shortcomings.

Feinstein undeniably broke barriers for women in politics. It was Feinstein who helped lead the Senate to ban enhanced interrogation techniques used by the U.S. military during the Iraq War.

Even in her later years, Feinstein remained a force in California. In an op-ed she wrote for The Bee last year, Feinstein advocated keeping the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant open longer than expected so that California could address its energy shortfalls.

“When PG&E announced the planned closure in 2016, I supported the decision. I remain concerned about the lack of long-term storage for spent nuclear fuel and am working to develop better solutions,” she wrote.

“But at this point, keeping Diablo Canyon open and producing carbon-free energy is more important.”

It could be argued that Feinstein’s support played a role in keeping an unpopular nuclear reactor online because it was a better alternative than using natural gas to keep California’s lights on during summer heat waves.

Feinstein said she would serve out her term, which will provide her with almost two years to step down from politics gracefully. When she does, Feinstein will have earned the thanks of her nation and her state for her remarkable career of historic firsts and strong leadership.

This story was originally published February 14, 2023 at 1:14 PM.