Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 88, is less than half-way through her six-year term. Newsom, meanwhile, is struggling to energize Democratic voters, while Republicans are rallying to vote him out of office between now and September 14 — all of which has made the race surprisingly close.

Few Democrats will speak out publicly about their concerns, given that Feinstein is not showing signs of stepping aside and that they are still betting that Newsom pulls it off.

But having witnessed Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death just weeks before the November 2020 election give then-President Donald Trump another Supreme Court appointee, and with fears over the 82-year-old Stephen Breyer’s seat on the court, a number of Democrats are worried the Senate could flip, too.

And they privately say that in the immediate aftermath of a Newsom loss, the calls would intensify to urge Feinstein to step aside before a GOP governor could be sworn into office.