Pelosi backs Schiff in heated battle over Feinstein’s Senate seat

Marking the first high-profile endorsement in what’s shaping up to be a blockbuster California political race, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced who she’s backing to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein — should the storied Democrat decide not to seek reelection next year.

Pelosi on Thursday put her support behind U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, a Democrat from Southern California who played a key role in investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, in a significant political move that spurred 20 current and former legislators to follow suit. Schiff, who just formally announced his campaign for the coveted Senate seat a week ago, expressed his appreciation for the vote of confidence.

“I am honored to have earned the support of Speaker Pelosi and so many of my colleagues from the California delegation,” he said in a news release. “Together, we’ve played an outsized role within the U.S. Congress in protecting our democracy and supporting working families, and I’m excited to continue that work as their partner in expanding health care, combatting the climate crisis, and addressing homelessness.”

A slew of California representatives, including Eric Swalwell, Julia Brownley, Jim Costa, Anna Eshoo, Jimmy Gomez, and Jared Huffman, joined Pelosi in her endorsement.

Pelosi’s endorsement came with the unusual caveat that she will support Schiff if Feinstein does not seek reelection in 2024. Feinstein, who turns 90 this year and is reportedly experiencing cognitive decline, has not even hinted publicly that she will retire — though many experts expect her to do so and she has faced internal pressure from Senate colleagues to bow out.

Schiff will face competition. Ambitious politicians already are lining up to take advantage of a rare shot at one of California’s two U.S. Senate seats. U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, an Orange County Democrat, declared her candidacy last month, and Rep. Barbara Lee, a Democrat from the East Bay, has expressed a desire to run — though she hasn’t made an official announcement. Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democrat from Silicon Valley, also has said he’s considering a run. And more candidates are sure to jump into the race as the election gets closer.

Tom Mentzer, communications director for Feinstein’s office, on Thursday reiterated that the senator will “announce her plans at the appropriate time, in the coming months.”

Pelosi’s early backing of Schiff to replace Feinstein is a “pretty significant development,” said Democratic strategist Darry Sragow, who advised Feinstein during her unsuccessful campaign for governor in 1990. While most run-of-the-mill voters probably don’t know Schiff’s name (or those of the others jockeying to run against him) they do know Pelosi’s — she’s a political giant and her opinion is highly respected, Sragow said.

A nod from Pelosi, whose opinion still carries significant clout despite the fact that she’s no longer in a formal House leadership role, also helps signal to Democratic voters that Schiff is the “real Democrat” in the race, or the one that has the official support of the party, he said.

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“This is important,” Sragow said. “Does it preordain the outcome of the race? Absolutely not.”

A lot will happen between now and the 2024 election — including more high-profile endorsements. It will be telling to see who big-shots like Gov. Gavin Newsom (who some experts speculate also might put in a bid for Feinstein’s seat), Sen. Alex Padilla, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, a Bay Area native, get behind. But Sragow thinks we’ll be waiting a while for those. It’s unlikely those big names will want to jump the political etiquette gun by issuing an endorsement before Feinstein announces her retirement, he said.

“We’ve got a lot of time between now and the primary,” Sragow said. “There’s a lot of water that hasn’t flowed under bridges yet, so we’re going to have to see how things unfold after today.”