“I don’t want to get involved in the primary,” he said. “It 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.”

[Rep. Barbara] Lee responded with a statement saying that she was “troubled” by Newsom’s remarks.

“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,” she wrote.

[I’d say that she’s got a point, although not the one Lee’s making. *If* Feinstein either dies or resigns over her health, he can’t just leave the seat vacant until the election. Democrats only have a 51/49 majority, and an open seat would leave Dems at the mercy of Joe Manchin and/or Kyrsten Sinema. He would have to appoint a caretaker of some sort, someone who will agree to stay out of the crowded primary. Would she rather Newsom pick one of the other candidates in the primary and put her and the others at a massive disadvantage? — Ed]