Top Democratic contenders weigh California Senate run
“There’s an entire generation of Democratic politicians who have been waiting for an opportunity like this one,” said Dan Schnur, executive director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California. “That’s a lot of pent up energy and ambition.”
Three of the strongest potential Democratic contenders for the seat — Attorney General Kamala Harris, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer — have been coy about their plans, praising Boxer’s long tenure as a champion for progressive causes, but staying mum on their own ambitions.
Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa released a statement Saturday expressing his interest: “Too many Californians are struggling to make ends meet, pay the bills, and send their kids to college. They are looking for progressive leaders in Washington who will fight for them, like Senator Boxer has done for over 20 years,” the former Los Angeles mayor said in a statement. “The urgency of the needs of the people of this great state have convinced me to seriously consider looking at running for California’s open Senate seat.”
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“I am doing it this early,” Boxer said, “because I think it’s important for the field — give them plenty of time to look at this; don’t give any one person the advantage, and just send the message out loud and clear.”
Feinstein similarly did not tip her hand on who she would favor in the race, but she noted that the candidates would need to get off to a fast start given the enormous expense of running a statewide campaign in California.
“Most candidates don’t realize, until they’ve run, how big the state is and how you have to reach people,” Feinstein said during a press gaggle on Capitol Hill Thursday. “You have to figure: ‘How many hands can I shake in two years. 100,000? 200,000?’ (You’ve) got 38 million people. So it really comes down to media, unfortunately.”
CNN’s Alexandra Jaffe, Ted Barrett and Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report
