La Malfa Vacancy: Nielsen wins Special Election

Jim Nielsen

Nine weeks ago, I wrote this article when it appeared that Jim Nielsen had received just over 50% of the vote in the Special Primary Election. He ended falling up a couple hundred votes short, so after correcting that first post, I’m going to rerelease it again tonight:

With Jim Nielsen receiving nearly two thirds of the vote in the runoff, the Special Election to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of State Senator Doug La Malfa has been filled. Nielsen will likely be sworn in as early as Thursday. Because Nielsen will serve less than half of the current term (he will be up for reelection in 2014), he will be eligible for two more full terms, bring his total time in the Senate to just under 22 years.

Senator La Malfa resigned on September 1st, at the end of the Legislative Session.

La Malfa Vacancy: Nielsen wins Special Election

Doug La Malfa

With Jim Nielsen receiving just over 50% of the vote, the Special Election to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of State Senator Doug La Malfa has been filled. Nielsen will have the option of being sworn in as early as December.

Senator La Malfa had resigned on September 1st, at the end of the Legislative Session. La Malfa’s early departure will allow his successor to be sworn in early enough in the term to introduce legislation and participate fully in the legislative calendar.

In other news, La Malfa was elected to Congress.

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.