Could Oprah Winfrey replace Dianne Feinstein, 89, in the Senate? Rumors swirl that talk show titan is on the list of replacements to take over if the ailing Senator resigns
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is reportedly considering appointing Oprah Winfrey to the Senate should Dianne Feinstein retire early.
Newsom has promised to appoint a black woman to the seat, and Oprah is one among a list of contenders he’s considering, according to the Associated Press.
Appointing Winfrey would spare Newsom from tipping the scales in California’s contentious primary race in 2025.
In that case, the celebrity talk show host would serve as a place holder who would not pursue the seat for a full six-year term.
Newsom’s office could not be reached for comment on the matter.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is reportedly considering appointing Oprah Winfrey to the Senate should Dianne Feinstein retire early
Another black woman, Rep. Barbara Lee, is already running in that race, but Newsom could be looking to remain neutral in what is sure to be a bloodbath between Lee and two other contenders – Reps. Adam Schiff and Katie Porter.
Winfrey has publicly teased running for president, and in 2018 CNN reported she was taking the idea seriously.
The new report comes as Feinstein, 89, has finally returned to the Senate after an over two-month absence for shingles – though many suspect her days there are limited.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi‘s office denied that her daughter has been traipsing around alongside Sen. Dianne Feinstein at the Capitol to ensure the 89-year-old remains in office to help Adam Schiff’s Senate campaign.
Feinstein spent 10 weeks absent from the Senate recovering from Shingles and public demands for her resignation swelled, but one avid defender – Pelosi – insisted such calls were sexist.
This week it came to light that Nancy Corinne Prowda, the speaker-emerita’s eldest daughter, has been acting as a caretaker of sorts to Feinstein, the Senate’s oldest member.
Asked if the arrangement was to aid Schiff’s campaign, Pelosi spokesperson Aaron Bennett gave a curt ‘no.’
Sources suggested to Politico that the arrangement was to ensure Feinstein, whose state of confusion and misremembering has been plainly on display in the Senate, remained in office to the end of her term.
Newsom has promised to appoint a black woman to the seat, and Oprah is one among a list of contenders he’s considering, according to the Associated Press
The new report comes as Feinstein, 89, has finally returned to the Senate after an over two-month absence for shingles – though many suspect her days there are limited
The 58-year-old marketing executive has appeared with the retiring senator after the departure of several trusted aides, amid questions about her fitness for office.
Meanwhile, Rep. Adam Schiff is locked in a three-way primary with Reps. Barbara Lee and Katie Porter. Pelosi has endorsed Schiff in the primary, and sources told Politico they believed the arrangement could be to prevent Gov. Gavin Newsom from appointing Lee to fill the seat.
Newsom has pledged to appoint a black woman to the Senate and Lee fits the bill.
A spokesman for Feinstein said Prowda was not drawing a salary for her role.
‘Nancy Corinne and Senator Feinstein have been friends for decades. Nancy Corinne has been supporting her in her shingles recovery,’ Bennett explained in a statement to DailyMail.com.
‘Speaker Emerita Pelosi and Senator Feinstein have been friends since long before their service in Congress — and their friendship is personal, not political. Anyone who knows Senator Feinstein knows that her service in the Senate is entirely her own decision, and Speaker Emerita Pelosi would never suggest otherwise.’
