Nevada Democrat Rep. Steven Horsford, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, is asking California Gov. Gavin Newsom to appoint Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., to serve the remaining time left on the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein's term, Politico reported Sunday.
Feinstein died last week at the age of 90.
The progressive Lee, a longtime Oakland, California, lawmaker, already announced she would run for the Senate seat in 2024. Fellow Democrat Reps. Katie Porter and Adam Schiff also have entered the race.
Newsom, who previously vowed to appoint a Black woman to the Senate, said in September he would appoint a caretaker to serve until January 2025 because he didn't want to give any of the announced candidates an advantage.
Horsford sent a Sunday letter to Newsom strongly urging him "to appoint Congresswoman Barbara Lee to the United States Senate," Politico reported.
"Barbara Lee has diagnosed a sickness in this country: greed," Horsford wrote in his letter. "And, as a former mental health professional, she has a solution: eradicate poverty, exterminate corporate welfare, and end austerity for working families.
"She is the only person with the courage, the vision, and the record to eradicate poverty, face down the fossil fuel industry, defend our democracy, and tirelessly advance the progressive agenda."
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.