Feinstein Reaches Twenty Years in the Senate

Senator Feinstein

As of Sunday, Dianne Feinstein will have served two full decades as a U.S. Senator.

She is the third longest-serving Senator in California history (after Hiram Johnson, Alan Cranston, and George C. Perkins), and at the end of her next term will rank just behind Johnson. Feinstein is also currently the third longest-serving female Senator is U.S. history.

After serving as Mayor San Francisco for a decade following the assassination of George Moscone, Feinstein ran for Governor in 1990, losing to U.S. Senator Pete Wilson (whose seat she would eventually assume). After resigning from the Senate to become Governor, Wilson appointed John Seymour to fill the U.S. Senate seat until a special election was held.

Image of Dianne Feinstein's inauguration as U.S. Senator in 1992. Provided by the Office of Senator Feinstein

Senator Feinstein’s 1992 Inauguration

The eventual special election came almost two years later, in November 1992. Seymour ran for another term, and faced a strong challenge by Feinstein, who won easily with 54% in a five-way race. Because it was a special election, Feinstein took office immediately, although she wasn’t officially sworn into office for over a week.

Twenty years later, Feinstein is running for her fourth full term in the Senate. We’ll know the results of that race in just a few days.

Proponents and Opponents of November Propositions

With the release of the Official Voter Information Guide for November, it was time to update the biographies of candidates who signed the statements in favor of (or opposed to) the various measures on the ballot.

They are:

Opponent, Proposition 30 [Temporary Taxes to Fund Education] (Passed; 53.9%)

Proponent, Proposition 31 [State Budget. State and Local Government.] (Failed; 39.2%)

Proponent, Proposition 32 [Political Contributions by Payroll Deduction] (Failed; 43.9%)

Opponent, Proposition 32 [Political Contributions by Payroll Deduction] (Failed; 43.9%)

Proponent, Proposition 34 [Death Penalty Prohibition] (Failed; 47.2%)

Opponent, Proposition 34 [Death Penalty Prohibition] (Failed; 47.2%)

Opponent, Proposition 35 [Human Trafficking Penalties] (Passed; 81.1%)

Proponent, Proposition 36 [Three Strikes Law] (Passed; 68.6%)

Opponent, Proposition 37 [Genetically Engineered Foods] (Failed; 46.9%)

Opponent, Proposition 38 [Tax to Fund Education and Early Childhood Programs] (Failed; 27.7%)

Two Candidates Drop Out

Two candidates appearing on the November ballot have dropped out of their races in the last week;

In Assembly District 69, Republican Jose Moreno has withdrawn from his race after learning that his candidacy was a violation of the federal Hatch Act. “The Hatch Act restricts the political activity of individuals principally employed by state or local executive agencies and who work in connection with programs financed in whole or in part by federal loans or grants.” [OCPolitical article]

In the current Special Election to fill Senate District 4, candidate Nonpartier Ben Emery announced that he would be withdrawing after learning that his employer “bought a new building with a state grant last year… and one of the group’s committees has been working with Logue to resolve some issues with the state regarding the building. ” [Chico Enterprise article]

Both will remain on the ballot in their races.