*Democratic Representative and Senate candidate Barbara Lee clapped back at California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s suggestion that he would appoint a Black woman “caretaker” as an interim senator if Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., steps down amid her health issues.
On Sunday’s “Meet the Press,” Newsom said he would appoint an interim replacement rather than name someone running in the March 5 primary, Yahoo reports.
“I don’t want to get involved in the primary,” Newsom said.
Naming someone running in the primary race “would be completely unfair to the Democrats that have worked their tail off. That primary is just a matter of months away. I don’t want to tip the balance of that,” Newsom added.
When moderator Chuck Todd noted, “It would be essentially a caretaker—an African American woman?” Newsom replied, “We hope we never have to make this decision, but I abide by what I’ve said very publicly on a consistent basis. Yes.”
I am troubled by the Governor’s remarks. The idea that a Black woman should be appointed only as a caretaker to simply check a box is insulting to countless Black women across this country who have carried the Democratic Party to victory election after election. https://t.co/Q5Q3jznuFd
— Barbara Lee (@BarbaraLeeForCA) September 11, 2023
The governor’s suggestion that Feinstein’s potential seat filler would be only a “caretaker” was met with harsh criticism, MSNBC reports.
“I am troubled by the Governor’s remarks. The idea that a Black woman should be appointed only as a caretaker to simply is insulting to countless Black women across this country who have carried the Democratic Party to victory election after election,” Rep. Lee, D-Oakland, wrote on X (formally Twitter).
She continued: “The perspective of Black women in the US Senate is sorely needed—and needed for more than a few months. Governor Newsom knows this, which is why he made the pledge in the first place. If the Governor intends to keep his promise and appoint a Black woman to the Senate, the people of California deserve the best possible person for that job. Not a token appointment.”
Newsom is said to be ruling out Lee for the job since she’s seeking a full term next year.
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