(Headline USA) Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., endorsed Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., in the race for a California Senate seat — but only if Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who currently holds the seat, retires.
“If Sen. Feinstein decides to seek reelection, she has my wholehearted support,” Pelosi told CNN this week. “If she decides not to run, I will be supporting House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, who knows well the nexus between a strong democracy and a strong economy.”
Schiff was booted from the House committee last week.
Nancy Pelosi on #casen: “If Senator Feinstein decides to seek re-election, she has my whole-hearted support. If she decides not to run, I will be supporting House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, who knows well the nexus between a strong Democracy and a strong economy.“
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 2, 2023
Pelosi’s support raises the stakes of what is already a contentious race — considering Feinstein has not yet said whether she plans to retire or seek reelection in 2024. Several Democrats have already announced their intention to run for the seat, including Schiff and Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif. Other potential contenders include Reps. Ro Khanna and Barbara Lee.
“Everyone is of course welcome to throw their hat in the ring, and I will make an announcement concerning my plans for 2024 at the appropriate time,” Feinstein said in a statement last month. “Right now I’m focused on ensuring California has all the resources it needs to cope with the devastating storms slamming the state and leaving more than a dozen dead.”
Schiff announced his campaign on Jan. 26, just a few weeks after Porter announced hers.
“I’ve always believed that what’s right matters, that the truth matters, and that decency matters. And when a dangerous demagogue tried to undermine our democracy, I wasn’t about to let him,” he said in a statement, referring to Democrats’ first impeachment effort against former President Donald Trump, over which Schiff presided.
Schiff went on to claim that “MAGA extremists” are his motivation to run for Senate.
“I wish I could say the threat of MAGA extremists is over,” he said in a video on Twitter. “It is not. Today’s Republican Party is gutting the middle class, threatening our democracy. They aren’t going to stop. We have to stop them.”
